From Different Worlds
by cammieXzach9900
Summary: "We can figure this out," he whispered, his hot breath fanning my face. I stared into those blue depths, seeing the sincerity and adoration. I had no choice but to push out of his arms. My life was always a delicate balance. I couldn't let him be the one thing that tipped the scale. "No, we can't. Grant, never look for me again." T-rated, might change to M. OCxG Ally owns GG
1. New York City

**Chapter 1**

**-Lexi-**

He came out of the bathroom wearing slacks and a gray dress shirt with a red tie. His brown hair was gelled so that no piece was out of place. Fear filled me as his pale green eyes sought out mine, but I didn't show it. I just kept my bored, stoic expression on. Fear was one emotion that you could never show him. He would kill you. There is no place in his life for weaklings.

I could see his gaze analyzing me. He seemed satisfied by what he saw: his obedient daughter hacking into the CIA database, just like he asked her to. He walked over and sat next to me, not a single word spoken… until:

"Did you find him?"

"Yes, Dad. He should be staying at The Chatwal, in room nine-hundred. Paul Erins has been with the CIA for twelve years, studied at Blackthorn Institute, and has gotten numerous Mridity members caught and killed. He is one of the best. He's going under the name Gerald Romane. He has a partner with him, Henry Calwick. His partner is going under the name Trevor Alder. He has been with the CIA for nine years, and also studied at Blackthorn. Any specifics you need?" I told him in a distant, detached, purely business voice.

"Family, for them both." Dad said.

"Paul's wife is Margaret. He has twin girls, Mary and Ella, ages are four." I told him, and quickly moved on to Henry. "Henry is single and his family has either been KIA or went MIA."

"What is their mission here?" Dad asked. He looked at my screen, glaring at the two men.

"To stop one of the Mridity's bombs."

He smirked, his dark side coming out as he said, "Well, we can't have that now can we?"

"No." I said emotionlessly.

"Call me if you find out anything important. Lexi, if someone calls here for me…" He looked at me as he stood up.

"You're in a meeting." I said, not missing a single beat.

He nodded and said, "Good girl. I'll be back before seven. Do whatever, but only under the name of Emma."

"I know."

He grabbed his black leather jacket from the closet and pulled it on, leaving shortly after. I waited a good few minutes after he had left, positive he would be at the elevator before I let out the breath I had been holding and slumped into the couch. My whole body began shaking. It was times like this where I needed to see him, my brother.

The only thing that kept me here was the constant threat of my dad bringing my brother into this. My brother was involved in the CIA, yes, but he wasn't involved in my dad. Our dad. He didn't even know about our dad.

I smiled bitterly as I found him in the CIA database. He didn't even know about me, his own sister. I did everything I could to keep him from knowing., I didn't contact him or my mom when I found out about them. That was when I was eleven, eight years ago.

We looked so much alike. Our dark brown curly hair, our emerald green eyes, and how easily we could put a mask up. Tears filled my vision as I read the name: Zachary Goode.

I wish that I could know him, or rather that he could know me. I kept learning more about him, where he went and who he was with, who he was friends with and who he loved. It was the only way to know him. This was as close as I could get. It was all for his sake. Why should he be forced to know his dad? Why should he be forced to go through all the pain and suffering that my dad used to put me through daily.

I learned to behave though. I learned not to back talk or disobey him. It would only end in pain. I knew my dad didn't actually love me. He wasn't capable of love. My dad was aware I knew about Zach and my mom. He used it to make me do whatever he wanted. He could easily bring Zach down, torture him, bring him into this life I tried to shelter him from.

I knew a lot about Zach. Like how he is twenty-one and is one of CIA's best, along with a lot of his friends. He's in a serious relationship with a Cammie Morgan, who I'm surprised he hasn't proposed to yet. She seems like a nice girl, from what I read about her at least.

Leaving the CIA database, I shut my laptop off and closed it. I set it on the table and looked around the seemingly vacant hotel room. It was a large, penthouse suite. I knew we wouldn't be here long so I didn't even bother to unpack. My dad would kill a few people and then we'd be on our way back to England.

I stood up and walked to the large window. It was so muggy outside, raining and raining. This was not the kind of day you would want to go outside in. I went to my suitcase, which laid next to my king sized bed, and opened it. I got my exercise clothes. I knew this hotel had a fitness centre.

Stuffing the clothes into a sports bag, as well as my room card and twenty bucks, I left the room, making sure to lock it after I was out.

I rode in the elevator with some fifty-some year old men. They both looked me up and down, smirks filling their faces. Neither made a move, but I could practically see the nasty thoughts circling through their heads. I didn't pay them any attention, especially since I could have killed them both within ten seconds.

That would be too much effort though, especially since I would have to hack into the hotel's security cameras and erase that footage. Like I said, too much effort.

The elevator dinged and I got off, but the two men followed after me. I continued down the whole and, by their suits, I knew they weren't really heading to the fitness centre. The further I went down the hall, the more I realized that it was where they were headed.

My thoughts darkened as I realized they were going there because I was.

It seems that I would need to do something about them after all. Killing them didn't seem necessary yet, but ditching them did. I went down a different hallway and tried one of the doors, but it was locked.

I didn't panic.

I just continued walking down that hallway. I needed to get somewhere they couldn't follow. The washroom was back down the other hallway though, and I would have to pass by them again if I wanted to get there.

This wasn't a rare occurrence, being following by people I didn't know. Sometimes my dad set up tests like this for me. Other times they were agents sent after my dad, and in relation, me. I didn't know which it was, but it didn't matter.

I wouldn't be shocked if these "agents" were following my every move on the hotel's cameras. I glanced up at the cameras in the hallway (eight) and looked for a blind spot (one). This hallway's only blind spot was in the corner at the very end. That was probably the case for a lot of the hallways.

As soon as I turned another corner, I spotted a window near one of the blind spots. I darted towards it and opened it. I looked over my shoulder, seeing no men coming around the corner yet. I climbed out the window and moved gingerly onto the siding. It was pushed out six inches, enough for me to balance, but not enough that I could walk without the fear of falling to my death.

I moved a bit down the siding, away from the window. I knew I would come into contact with another window soon enough. There was no point in panicking. They probably just thought I ran down the next hallway. That is unless I was right about them watching me with the inner cameras. I wait for a little bit, in sight of the window but far enough that they couldn't just reach out and grab me. Thirty-three seconds passed before a head poked out of the window and the man yelled to her partner, "There she is!"

I knew it.

As he began climbing out, I moved along the siding and kept my gaze forward, looking for the next window. There were too little windows for my taste. That was when I saw a window a little below me. It was a risky move, but I was already stepping off the siding and grabbing it with my hands.

I glanced at the men, seeing them struggling to stay on the siding. These were one of the times when I was glad that I was smaller, able to fit along the siding when they obviously couldn't.

I looked down at the window and lined up with it. My fingers let go of the siding and, as I fell, I managed to grab the sill of the window below. I pulled myself up and through the window. Luckily for me it was already open.

As soon as I was inside and on solid ground, I headed back on my way to fitness centre as if nothing happened. I went in the change room and changed into my exercise outfit, which consisted of a running shoes, a deep red tank top and a pair of yoga pants with a thick, white strip around the waistline. I stuffed my bag into one of the available lockers.

I was about to lock it, but then I reconsidered. To these agents, locking my bag in a locker here was about as good as handing it right to them. I took my room card out and managed to slip it into the side of my running shoe (it was an annoying feeling, but it was a necessary one). I slipped the money into the other shoe. I took out my phone and slipped it into my bra (very uncomfortable, but again, it had to be done).

Then I finally locked my bag in the locker. That would keep them busy for a minute or two, and it would be amusing to have them unlock it for nothing.

Finally, I strode out of the changing room, only to see the agents standing near the door, looking around. When they saw me I flashed them a brilliant smile, a triumphed one. They glared at me and watched as I headed over to a treadmill. I set it to a jog and began, but quickly changed it to a brisk run.

I watched as they snuck into the girls' change room and snickered to myself. They came out a minute (and twelve seconds) later with scowls. I just smirked at them and continued running. These guys were complete amateurs. You would think they would send more skilled guys, whoever did send them.

A good hour passed before I finished with the treadmill. I got off the treadmill and took out my phone. No need to give them the advantage of using cameras. I hacked into the hotel's database, which was actually pretty simple. I disabled all of the cameras, and then slipped my phone back in my bra.

They watched my every movement, even as I skipped going to the change room and just walked right out of the fitness room. What was a few lost pieces of clothing if it meant I still had my life. If these guys were any good then I knew they would have cornered me.

I was aware that they were following me once again. They would know every step I took. It didn't matter too much what I did. They already knew I wasn't 'Emma'. I guess I might as well stop playing around. I was getting a little tired. A nap would do me some good.

Once I was a few hallways away from the fitness centre, I turned the corner and leaned against the wall. I listened as their footsteps quickened. They knew better than to let me get out of their sights. They couldn't rely on the cameras this time around.

As soon as I heard their footsteps just about to turn the corner, I snapped my fist out, knocking one right in the face. I brought my knee up quickly, connecting it with his crotch. Once the first guy was down for the count I went after his partner. Except I didn't see anyone else.

"Where's your buddy?" I asked, tangling my hand into his hair and slamming his head against the wall. "Talk."

"Nowhere you need to know," he ground out, swinging his fist at me. I dodged easily and kicked him in the crotch. He was down once again. I put my foot on his head.

"You're not exactly winning right now, so I suggest you start talking. I have nothing against killing you. Let's face the fact, you know who my dad is. Do you really think I'm not accustom to death? Killing you will be simple." I told him simply.

"They're right," he mumbled, "you need to be killed."

"Who are 'they'?" I asked.

No response.

I was about to ask again, maybe brutalize him a bit more, but then there was a strong impact against the back of my head. I fell to the ground but quickly rolled away. My gaze snapped to where I was, only to find the other man.

"So that's what the plan was." I muttered.

The second man lunged at me, his fist flying. I fell again, this time of my own freewill, and rolled out of the way. I shot up and roundhouse kicked him, sending him into the wall. I grabbed his head once he was disoriented and brought my knee up, slamming the two together. His head smashed against my floor, but I only gave him about a second before I grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall.

He blacked out.

I turned to the other one, who had finally managed to get on his feet, and a smirk rose to my lips. He should have just stayed down, or better yet he should have ran off while he had the chance.

"Still not going to tell me who you're working for?" I asked. He grunted. I sighed and punched him in the nose. The impact knocked him out.

I pushed myself up against one of the walls, slid down it and let out a terrified, ear-piercing scream. My whole body began to tremble. All I needed to do was visualize my dad in my head.

Almost immediately someone came running down the hall, a man in his early twenties. Panic filled his face as he saw me.

"What happened? Are you alright, miss?" He asked, helping me stand up. I made my legs shake and I looked hesitantly up at him.

"I… I…" I burst into tears. "These men cornered me. I.. I thought I was going to get hurt or raped," I hiccupped, "but then this man came and knocked them out for me. I was so _scared_!" I clung to this man because, well, he was pretty hot. Besides, it helped with my little charade.

"Shh, it's alright. You're fine. I'm going to make sure these men get locked up. They can't just attempt to assault a pretty young girl without facing the penalties." The man told me.

"Thank you so much." I told him shakily.

"You just go to your room and take a little while to calm down. Alright?" The man squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. I nodded and walked down the hallway. As soon as I turned the corner, a smirk tipped up at my lips.

Too easy.

* * *

"How did it go?" I asked when my dad walked in.

"Very well. He didn't even see it coming." My dad said. He looked at me and my bored, stoic face and added, "Did anything happen while I was away?"

"Nothing eventful. It was so boring." I told him, not missing a beat.

"Then let's go home. You will be able to do a lot more there." My dad said. I disgusted me that he was always in a good mood after his missions, considering they usually involved killing someone or multiple people.

We were quickly on our way to the airport, boarding a flight to England. I put in headphones once we were seated and blasted some music, a clear sign to not bother me. Thankfully, my dad at least allowed me some privacy.

He knew he had me where he wanted me, that's why. I couldn't disobey him, not if I wanted Zach to be safe. I _always_ wanted Zach to be safe. That's why I never tried to show myself before him. He didn't deserve to live how I had to live. Zach deserved so much more.

And so, I would do everything within my power to keep him away from my dad, even if it meant I would never really get to know him.

* * *

**That was a pretty long chapter. I'm going to try and do the other chapters like that as well, so it might take me a while to update this story sometimes. Let's face it, that is a lot to write.**

**I hope you guys liked it. I'm getting sucked into writing this story, so I hope you guys are getting sucked into reading it. This story is going to take a little while to get to our main characters (Grant, Zach, Cammie, etc), but we will get there.**

**I know that Lexi seems like she's on the wrong side, but just hang in with me and let's see where it goes. You can at least see that her reasons are good ones.**

**- cammieXzach9900**


	2. Envelope

**Chapter 2**

**-Lexi-**

A limo picked us up right as we exited the airport. I breathed in the England air. I always felt a lot better when I was here. I knew these streets like the back of my hand, even as cliché as that sounds. The streets are my home, not the house we were being driven to. My house, it was beautiful, but it wasn't my home. If a house had to be a home, then I didn't have a home.

I stared out the tinted window, watching the people walking along as if nothing was wrong. They didn't understand anything. They were civilians, so it wasn't expected that they would. Still, they lived their lives in such ignorance. They didn't know if they would suddenly just… die.

Suddenly my ear bud was yanked from my ear. I glared at my dad, something he didn't frown upon yet didn't encourage either. The only times I really glared was when I was pulled out of my thoughts like that.

"There will be a meeting shortly, only an hour from now. You need to be on your best behaviour," my dad told me. I nodded my understanding and put my ear bud back in. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the cool glass window.

If only music could really drown everything out. I've seen much more than an average twenty-one year old sees. No amount of music could ever make me forget any of it for even a second.

The limo paused at a large silver gate that circle around the massive mansion that I knew of as my house. He took out key card and slipped it into a machine. The gate opened and the limo driver took the key card back, putting it away into the glove department. He cruised through the open gate, down a long path. On either side of the path was green grass and bushes and beautiful flowers. It was like there was a wildlife preserve.

I unbuckled my seatbelt when the limo pulled to a stop in front of the grand entrance. My dad got out first and spoke to the limo driver up front. I got out and looked up at the mansion. It feels eerily creepy to me. It always has. This place was too big. There could be someone hiding around every corner, in every room, and in every closet.

The limo driver would retrieve the luggage, just like he always did. I went to the door and punched in the code to unlock the door. It opened and I went inside. I was greeted by an expansive room, a staircase that circled around to the top level, glass moving up from the stairs to the iron railing.

Beside the staircase was a large door, extending the length of the wall, that led to a sitting around. Through there I could get to the pool area.

I walked up the stairs, my footsteps echoing. Every steep you take in this house echoed, no matter how quiet you tried to be. Maybe that was why my dad liked it. He could hear if someone was sneaking up on him.

Not much time passed before I was entering my wing. Yes, I had my own wing within the massive mansion. It actually consisted of two floors. The main area was a sitting area. My dad got me a statue for this area for my birthday seven years ago. It has got to be the creepiest thing ever. It's two statue molds of people, staring down at you.

Another staircase led upstairs, but when I was going down I rarely used it. I had a tendency to just jump from one from to the other. It was training, I guess. There was nothing above the main area in the first floor of my wing. Instead, the second floors had a railing that wound around a large gap in the ceiling of the first floor. It was like the second floor was viewing into the first. I could see anyone coming early on. A large chandelier hung through the second floor.

The rooms on the second floor led to my bedroom, my guest bedroom (yes, I'm serious), and another bathroom.

I went into my room and collapsed on my bed. There was too much walking in this place. The familiar walls of red welcomed me.

There was a knock on my door. I called out, "Come in!"

Xavier, the limo driver, walked in with my luggage. He smiled at me, a fake smile. I saw through this man's charades. He was just one of my dad's men.

"Here is your luggage, Lexi," he told me, holding up a small suitcase. "Do you want me to put it away for you."

"You can just leave it by my closet. I'll deal with it in a bit. Thank you." I said. Xavier did what I instructed.

"Also, your father asked me to make sure you are prepared for the meeting. There are only forty-five minutes to go." Xavier said.

"Prepared?" I questioned.

"You can't very well show up in your sweats." Xavier said.

"_I know that_." I rolled my eyes. I'm not a kid, I know how to dress.

Xavier tutted and walked forward. He told me, "Lexi, your father expects you to hold a certain degree of pride. By that I mean our pride in how you look. You _will_ wear what I give you."

"Whatever." I said, smirking as his gaze hardened. I knew he hated that word.

Still, fifteen minutes before the meeting I found myself under his inspection. He had made me go through three different outfits. There was always a long inspection after each one. First we tried for formal, not working though. Then casual, and he thought it was worse than what I was wearing before.

Now I stood in blush-coloured lace dress. It was a short summer dress, fitting both the criteria of casual and formal. Semi-formal, or at least that's what Xavier told me. Part of me thinks he just gave up. There was a thin brown belt around my waist. I slipped into a pair of flats.

"This will have to do," he muttered. "Come, Lexi. I'm sure your father is anxious to see how this fiasco turned out."

"Oh Xavier, enough with such _kind_ words." I told him, my voice oozing of sarcasm. I rolled my eyes and shoved past him.

My dad waited in the main foyer. His gaze rose when I entered and he seemed surprised. I was thankful that he didn't say anything. If I could have it my way I would be in skinny jeans. Oh, or maybe even better, yoga pants.

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. My dad must have unlocked the gate earlier. He went to the door and opened it. Standing there were three men and one woman.

"Charles, how good it is to see you again," one of the men said. I recognized him as Tyrone. His dark hair was gelled into perfection.

"Yes, it's been a while." Tyrone said, shaking my dad's hand.

He came in followed by Malcolm and Esteban. Both glanced at me. Malcolm just gave me a curt nod, while Esteban actually gave me a half-smile. Both of their attention returned to my dad right after though.

The woman filed in after them, her gaze sweeping across the foyer. I knew her as Teresa. She _hated _me. I never even did anything to her, but she found some reason to despise me apparently. She never failed to make her opinion of me known, loudly.

Her gaze fell on me and she looked a little confused, but then she smiled and said, "Good afternoon."

"You spoke to me…" I said slowly. The men watched, their eyes widening. "And you didn't even say something hateful."

She took a step back, as if to run for it, but before she could get far Tyrone casually took out a gun and shot her. This is why you didn't mess with the Mridity, they're cruel and heartless. She didn't even have a chance. She was dead before she even knew what was going on.

"They sent an amateur." Esteban sneered in his deep Australian accent.

"It doesn't really matter who they sent. Come, we have a meeting to begin." My dad said simply before glancing at Xavier. "Dispose of her."

"Of course." He said, a sly smile pulling at his lips.

My dad led us all to the main dining hall (we have four), getting everyone settled in. I took my seat to my dad's right. I clasped my hands in my lap and stared down. My job here was only observing and listening, as it has always been.

"Tyrone, give me the run-down on what the Circle has been up to." My dad said.

He nodded and said, "Their activity level has been low as of late. It seems as if there are less and less members. We know better, of course."

"Of course," my dad agreed.

"My guess would be that they are trying to get off the grid." Tyrone said.

"Delusional fools." Malcolm muttered.

I had to agree with him. The Circle – meaning the Circle of Cavan – was a group, similar to the Mridity in a way. The two groups had been rivals since who knows when, long before I was even born. Even I didn't know why they had to consistently fight each other. Then again, it wasn't as if I cared one way or another. Everyone except the Mridity was the enemy. I was taught that since I was a little girl.

Fine by me. I didn't need to trust anyone. I didn't even trust the Mridity, even though they were supposedly my allies. They are cold-hearted monsters. Every single one of them. They kept me safe though, and it wasn't as if I could defy my dad.

He would kill me. I knew he would.

"We need to strike them hard." Esteban said.

"Yes, but timing is everything." My dad sufficed.

I just stared down at my clasped hands, not raising my gaze once. They never talked about anything else. The Circle, killing people, operations. There wasn't a single mention of the real Teresa. We didn't know whether she was dead or captured, but to them it didn't matter. She hated me and the feeling was mutual, but I still wanted to know what happened.

The meeting dragged on, the discussion of potential Circle members going from one end of the table to the other. Different operations for how to take out the Circle were flying through the air.

Eventually the meeting was pulled to a close and my dad was dismissing the others. With a small nod or smile of acknowledgement to me, like when they first came, they were on their way. As they left, Xavier returned.

"Is she taken care of?" My dad asked.

"Of course." Xavier said with that same sly smile. "She will not be found."

"Good work." Then my dad turned to me and said. "I need you to drop something off for me."

I nodded slowly and asked, "What is it?"

"That doesn't matter. Just deliver it to Darren." My dad said, pulling an envelope out from his pocket. He handed it to me and added, "It's very important that it gets to him."

"Of course." I said.

I got my purse from my room, a small, light-coloured one, and stuffed the envelope inside. I changed into a pair of skinny jeans, an off-the-shoulder top, a light sweater, and high-heeled knee-high boots. Given the choice to leave this house, I would take it over and over again, even though I knew I would have to come back every time. I would be tied to him until I was to die.

Once outside the gates of the mansion, I walked along the sidewalk, just enjoying the view. It was a little chilly, but perfectly fine for a nice walk.

Darren lived down a few streets, which would only take a normal person ten minutes to get there. Me, on the other hand… much longer. Whatever was in that envelope couldn't be good, but I needed to make sure it got delivered.

I pulled the envelope out and opened it, looking the what was inside. It looked like some blueprints for a machine. I shrugged and put it back in, sealing the envelope once more.

People passed by, but my gaze snapped to a dark-skinned woman with brown hair in a black sweater, a thin one. She had been wearing a red jacket only six minutes ago, as she left a store with another woman in tow. The other woman was nowhere to be seen.

I continued walking, making a turn into a convenience store.

I made a point in looking at the array of foods, candies and chips, soda and energy drinks. Two minutes passed and a woman, the one who had accompanied the brunette woman the first time around, came in.

This woman had on a dress with thick tights underneath, tucked into knee-high boots, similar to mine. I shrugged that fact off. Brownish blonde hair was pulled up in a loose bun. I bit my lip as I realized who she was.

Cameron Ann Morgan, AKA Zach's girlfriend. Looks like I can't kill my trails after all. Thinking back to the other woman, I realized she must be Rebecca Baxter, a friend of Zach and Cammie.

My gaze connected with hers for a millisecond, but she moved on like she barely even noticed me. She blended in, she was the chameleon.

I grabbed a pack of skittles and a pack of gum. After paying for them, I stuck everything in my purse. I made sure to ruffle the envelope, watching out of the corner of my eye as Cammie watched me.

Bingo.

That's what she was after. Couldn't have that, no matter what this blueprint could do. My life depended on delivering this envelope.

I left the convenience store and moved down the street, but when it came to an intersection, with Darren's to the right, I went left. I blended in with a crowd of people, and Cammie was about to find out that she wasn't the only one who could hide in plain sight.

A common rule was that you shouldn't stay in the same group for too long, not when you're being followed. I managed to trump that rule every time. Walking with this group of teenagers, on some break from school by the sound of it, I saw Cammie walk by us completely.

It wasn't long before Bex walked past as well, wearing yet another disguise. I stepped away from the group a while later, into a department store. I got out the back entrance and doubled back to the intersection, where I headed to Darren's house.

I knocked on the door and was quickly let in.

"Lexine, your dad just called." Darren – a man with dark hair and bright blue eyes – said. I handed the envelope to him. "Oh yes, thank you. Were there any troubles or maybe something concerning?"

I thought back to Cammie and Bex as I smiled and said, "No. Nothing at all."

"Good. Your dad called, he has a message for you." Darren told me. I nodded. "Brutus stopped by the mansion, so you are not to go home until seven, at the very earliest. You know how violet Brutus tends to get."

"Thanks for passing the message along. I'll keep it in mind." As I avoid any tails.

He smiled politely and showed me the way out, as if I hadn't already memorized it. I walked down the street and went at an easier pace. My strides were still filled with purpose, but they were slower.

Hours passed of me going from store to store, mostly window shopping. Although I did buy this beautiful pair of emerald earrings, with white gold embedded around the emerald.

It was a little past eight as I walked down a lone street, to the side of Wendy's. There weren't many people out anymore, but there was the odd one or two. I didn't think much of it when I heard light footsteps from behind me.

My gut suddenly told me to turn around, but before I could I felt something touch the back of my head. A hand suddenly caged my wrists in its strong grip. I felt a warm, solid, _tall_ body right behind me.

* * *

**This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but not by too much. I think it could have been written a little better, but it still turned out fairly well. Trust me, more will happen in the next chapter. Just be patient. I'm sorry there hasn't been any romance in this story yet, but it will come soon.**

**I hope you all liked this chapter. You can see some of the clothes used in this chapter (such as the dress) on my new website. Yes, I'm starting it up again. The link is on my profile, so go check it out.**

**Review, I like hearing from you :)**

**- cammieXzach9900**


	3. Party

**Chapter 3**

**-Lexi-**

"Move and I'll shoot," came a deep voice.

How could I have been so sloppy? I heard light footsteps, yet I thought…

I felt the indent of the gun's barrel press harder against the back of my head. The grip around my wrists tightened. If we were on an even playing field then, yes, I would play with him for a bit, but that wasn't the case. He was bigger, heavier, and had the leverage of a gun. So I did the only thing that I could in a situation like this:

I sobbed, "W-w-why are you d-doing this?"

"As if you don't know," he grunted. Then lowered, he said, "I have her. Where should I bring her? The base or the hotel?"

I realized he must have been talking on a comms unit.

"I r-really don't," I said, working another sob into my voice.

"Well let's see, your father has something to do with it." This man said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Don't play stupid. Your dad is a bad man and we both know it." This man told me.

"He's not bad. How bad can an accountant be?" I asked.

There was a long pause. "Accountant?"

Got him.

"Y-yeah. My dad's an accountant." I trembled.

He groaned and muttered, "Guys, I think I got the wrong girl."

The gun was pulled away from my head, the force no longer being felt against me. His hands let go of my wrists and I felt him step away. I didn't realize how cold it really was, not with his warm body so close.

"You're going to need to forget any of this ever happened." The man said.

I looked over my shoulder at him, taking him in for the first time. His tall build was matched with long and lean muscles going down his arms, showing through his long-sleeved shirt. Locks of blond curled around his fair-toned face and bright blue eyes. I swear, he could have been a Greek god. He looked around twenty-one.

I immediately recognized him as Grant, one of Zach's friends. I didn't know all too much about him, as it was never needed. This could not be good though. I had seen three of his friends in the same day. That had to mean he was close already.

The gun was still in his strong hand, readied. His other hand was at his ear, touching the comms unit. He muttered something I didn't quite catch into it.

Maybe I could have some fun. It had been a slow day.

"Does that mean I can go?" I asked, pushing a tremble into my voice.

"Yeah. Go." He sighed. He turned from me, switching the safety on his gun on before putting it in his hip holster.

The man turned away from me and began walking off. Silently, I moved and shoved Grant to the ground. We rolled and I ended on top of him, pinning his hands with all the force I could muster. I smirked down at his shocked face. I sat on his torso, one knee of either side of his hips.

"You're an _idiot_." I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? Accountant? You fell for that? It's like the oldest trick in the book."

"You really are his daughter." Grant said, his eyes wide.

I gripped his hands tighter and forced them to his hair, tangling my hands along with his into it, right before I brought his head up and slammed it right back down.

Slowly, I said, "No shit, Sherlock."

I slammed his head again, before he could overpower me.

"It's really too bad you're with the feds. You're pretty hot." I said as I slammed his head against the ground, with more force, one final time.

I was sure the dizziness was at its highest point. I got off, despite how good it felt to straddle him. My hands still gripped his, pinning them. First, I got him when he was surprised and confused, and now the dizziness. I was on a roll.

"You don't have to do this." Grant said and, suddenly, I was the one pinned down. The asshole was toying with me! He was fully capable of fighting off the dizziness. "Sweetheart, a few hits to the head aren't enough to keep me down."

The panic, for once, began to settle in.

"I got her," he said into the comms unit. "Relax, I needed to make sure she thought she was in control."

I raised an eyebrow and, with every ounce of my power, brought my knee up to his groin. He groaned out and fell on top of me, which wasn't much better. I shoved him off of me and made a run for it. I knew he would be after me before long.

There was nowhere to hide this time. No large groups passing by, no stores to go through the back door of.

A shot rang out.

I stumbled, but managed to keep running. I made sure not to run in a straight line. That would only make me an easier target for him.

In the shadows, no one would see the bullets flying through the air. Or my body drop to the ground with blood splattering the ground. The image filled my head and I immediately shook it away. That wouldn't happen, I was better than that.

Rain began pelleting the ground, thundering down. I just kept running, despite the slipperiness that was sure to come.

This was where I grew up, I knew every turn and street. A sudden thought came to me then. It was risky, if he caught on I would be dead. It was a risk I would have to take though. He wasn't about to give up.

I ran down a few streets, never casting a look backwards. That would only slow me down. Instead, I looked through the reflection of windows. He was gaining on me. I turned a corner sharply, a walking bridge coming into view. It was one only used for pedestrians.

I reached it before Grant could turn the corner, and jumped off the ledge. The bridge wasn't too far, only ten feet. I blended into the shadows of the bridge. Footsteps pounded from above. I leaned out a bit and watched as he continued running.

As soon as he turned the next corner, I climbed back up and ran in the opposite way. I kept going until I was back inside the mansion. Xavier was around as I got in, immediately taking in my wet state.

"Oh dear," he sighed. "You're soaked. Stay right here."

Xavier went on his way quickly, returning with a towel. He handed it to me and I wrapped it around my shoulders, only then realizing that I was shivering. I used it to dry myself off a bit so I at least wasn't soaking. Once I wasn't soaking, I went to my room.

My mind tracked back to Grant. He actually gave me a lot more excitement than I usually got. Most of the time I had no problem with the agents that came after me to get at my dad. This time… fear had actually filled me.

I smiled. This could get interesting.

If Grant was any good, like he was out there a little while ago, then I knew he would come back after me. Him and whoever he was talking to on his comms unit.

As I stared out the window, I decided that I would be ready. A smirk rose to my lips. They wouldn't get the best of me, no matter who they had. I couldn't kill them, not as long as they were friends of Zach, but I could and would severely maim them.

* * *

A knock came at my door the next morning. I sat up and brushed my unruly curls out of my face. I called out, "Come in!"

The door opened and in came Xavier. He smiled politely at me and said, "Your father wanted me to pass on a message to you." I nodded for him to continue. "You have both been invited to a gathering for tonight. Your father has some _business_ to attend to at this meeting. It's more so a party, I suppose you could say."

I groaned.

"Is something wrong?" Xavier asked.

"That means I'm going to have to wear another dress, doesn't it?" I asked. Xavier chuckled and nodded. "Well there goes my morning."

"There is no need to worry. I'll assist you. The meeting begins at six, so we will need to begin right away." Xavier told me. Then he nodded politely at me and left the room.

I sighed and got out of bed, dressing in a tank top and some yoga pants. He was going to make me go through several dresses and I knew it, so I just threw on whatever. I left my room and jumped off the second floor, down to wait.

I wasn't sitting down for long, not before Xavier was back with a pile of dresses of different colours and materials.

"Does my dad just want me to go, or do I need to do something there?" I asked.

Xavier smiled and said, "He simply wants you to watch for CIA agents. You will have a comms unit in the form of an earring."

"Sounds easy. Other than that…?"

"Just have some fun." Xavier came over and patted my shoulder. "You deserve it. Lexi, you are a young woman and you need to get out there."

"Please don't tell me you're telling me to hook up with some guy." I groaned. Still, the sentiment was appreciated.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't be against you being with someone for once though." Xavier told me. Then he shook his head. "Let's get started."

"_Joy._" I muttered dryly.

* * *

"Your father is ready." Xavier told me. I looked at him and frowned. He sighed. "What's wrong now?"

"Don't you think you went a little overboard?" I asked. I looked back at the mirror and frowned again. I looked amazing, yeah, but it wasn't me.

My dark brown hair cascaded down in big, romantic ringlets, sashaying against the blue material that hugged my torso. Glittering straps emerged from an intricately pleated bust, creating an extremely glamorous and flattering look. The stunning waist is covered in beading with unique sheer cut outs and a rhinestone center embellishment. The flowing skirt falls from the fitted waist.

"You look amazing." Xavier insisted..

"I look… fake." I mumbled.

"You do not. Stop doubting yourself. You look amazing and every man at this party will be lining up to even talk to you, much less dance." Xavier told me.

I sighed and went down to meet my dad. He stood in the main foyer and, once again, looked surprised when he saw me. He smiled and said, "I suppose I'll have to start beating off the men now."

"Don't be ridiculous." I mumbled.

"Lexi, you look amazing." My dad said and he actually sounded like a dad in that moment, not one of the main leaders of a dangerous organization. He sounded _proud_.

"Can we just go?" I asked, feeling blood rush to my cheeks.

He chuckled and held the door open for me. We went into the limo. I watched as everything passed us by. Going to parties like this, it was normal for us.

By the time we got there, a lot of people were still piling in. I was sure the ballroom was packed with people. My dad helped me out of the limo and we made our way inside. He opened the door and held it for me. My dad was being such a gentleman tonight. It was odd.

Lights dangled and couples twirled. The room seemed to sparkle. I have been to several parties like this, but they really outdid themselves this time. It looked almost magical.

"Go have some fun, sweetie." My dad said, but then muttered, "Keep your eyes open."

Back to business.

I nodded and walked off, to the table with the refreshments. My eyes scanned the room as I moved. People laughed and danced, twirled and flirted, talked and lied. It was all the same. These people weren't all necessarily spies, but they were two-faced all the same.

I ate one of the cookies, detecting a slight hint of rum once it touched my tongue. I sighed and faced the dancers again.

"Well, well, look who it is."

When I looked to my side, I saw Grant standing there. He was dressed in a dark blue dress shirt with a black tie and equally black dress pants.

"Have fun in the rain?" I taunted, a smirk rising to my lips.

"I could ask you the same." Grant said, chuckling. He seemed a lot calmer this time. Then again, I wasn't slamming his head against the ground this time. "I would like to know how you got away though."

"That's my secret." I put my index finger to my lips and winked at him.

Grant chuckled, but then he took on a serious look. He told me, "You don't seem like someone who would be evil."

"I guess I don't." I mumbled and looked back at the dancers. "They're so ignorant. It must be nice. They don't realize the danger they're all in."

"What's your dad planning?" Grant asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him move closer. "You don't really want anyone hurt, do you?"

"It doesn't matter what I want." I said flatly.

Then I backtracked. Why was I still talking to him? Why was I telling him so much? I shoved my mask on and faced him with no emotion.

Grant frowned and told me, "Of course it matters. It's your life."

Except it's not.

I'm _not_ control in my life. I never have been, and I probably never will be. My dad was the one in control. I knew I was more of disposable agent to him than a daughter, despite the small amount of pride he showed me earlier. That didn't mean anything in the whole scheme of things, not to him.

"It's Lexi, right?" Grant asked. I just gave him a flat look. "Lexi, you're very capable. You could do so much good. I don't get why you would even consider fighting _against_ the good of everyone."

"I don't care if you get it or not." I told him. I sighed and walked off. Well, I tried to. Grant grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

I collided against his chest. His very _packed_ chest. Despite the fact that he was an enemy, I felt a blush taking over my cheeks. His strong hands held me, but not in a way you would expect out of your enemy. I looked up and saw he smiling down at me charmingly.

"Lexi, dance with me," he whispered in my ear.

"I shouldn't." I tried to push away, but Grant kept me close.

"Come on, just have some fun." Grant told me. He pulled me towards the dance floor.

I sighed. We began dancing. With each twirl, Grant brought me closer. I leaned against him. He couldn't do anything to me, not with so many people around.

"You look amazing, by the way." Grant mentioned.

"Really?" I mumbled. "It's not too much?"

I looked up at him and saw the confusion in his eyes. Then he smiled and brought his hand up to my face, lightly brushing loose curls off my cheek. He reassured me, "You're gorgeous. You're showing off all of your assets as well." His other hand moved down the side of my body, curving into my slim waist.

I blushed and looked down.

Grant chuckled. "I think I preferred you last night though."

"Even with my slamming your head into the ground?" I teased. I brushed my hips against hip, taunting. He grinned and his grip around my waist tightened, holding me more firmly.

"You were pretty good out there." Grant mentioned.

"Well, what did you expect? Me to be a complete pushover?" I asked.

"Of course not, but I didn't expect you to be able to keep me down." Grant admitted.

I shrugged and said, "It was just from you being shocked. Then the trauma to your head. I'm not an idiot, Grant. You're a heck of a lot stronger than me."

I looked up again, but then he twirled me. Just like always, he pulled me close. The song soon ended though and we went back to the side.

"Nice break from being on the wrong side?" Grant asked.

I sighed and turned away from him. I knew it had to be something like this. Grant was just trying to use me against my dad. This game he was playing, it wouldn't end in his favour, not if I had something to say about it.

"Your plan isn't going to work." I told him flatly before walking off, successfully this time.

I danced with a few other men, laughing along with them. Their eyes were always on me, just like Xavier told me they would be. I glanced around the room, only to see Grant watching me. Was that why he was here?

His hand went to his ear, and his lips moved. I quickly excused myself from the man I was dancing with. I ran my hand through my hair as I walked, away from Grant and blocking his view of my hand with my hair. I touched my earring, the comms unit.

"Some agents are here. What's your status?" I whispered.

"How many?" My dad asked through the comms unit.

"I see one, but he's on comms unit with someone else. Probably a few people." I told him. I looked through the reflection of a window and saw Grant walking towards me. "One is following me."

"Keep him occupied." My dad told me. "I'm nearly done."

"No problem." I said and dropped my hand from the earring. I went out onto the balcony, hearing the faint footsteps behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Grant. "Am I that irresistible?"

He chuckled and stepped closer, putting one hand on the railing on either side of me. I realized he was trapping me. Before he could do anything else, I put my hands on his chest and moved them up, around his neck.

Grant's eyes of blue widened, but then he grinned. I saw the mischief light up into those blue orbs. I ground my hips lightly against him. My hand moved temptingly into his hair and pulled him closer.

We were only a breath away when, in my ear, a voice whispered, "Done. Get out of there."

I shoved against Grant, pushing him to the ground and loudly exclaimed, "How dare you? What kind of girl do you think I am?"

Everyone looked over.

I stormed past him and through the crowds of people. A smirk rose to my lips as I reached the door. I left and got into the limo. My dad was already inside.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"Perfectly." I said. I glanced at the mansion as the limo started. My gaze went to the balcony, only to see Grant watching me. Or rather, watching the limo. There was no way he could see through the windows.

I smiled lightly, watching as he got smaller and smaller the further away we got. I wiped the smile off my lips as I turned to my dad.

"There's going to be another party this Friday," he told me.

_I'll be looking forward to it._

* * *

**This one took a while, but here it is. I hope you liked the interaction between the two. It went through a few edits, but it's still pretty rough. Did you guys like how Grant managed to bring out the friendlier side of Lexi out? And who was Grant talking to?**

**I won't be able to post the next chapter until May, so sorry about that. I'm participating in Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I promise I'll post after it's done though. Until then, this will have to do.**

**- cammieXzach9900**


	4. Discs

**Chapter 4**

**-Lexi-**

I circled my hands around the warm cup. A smile stretched across my lips. I brought the cup up to my lips and sipped the delicious, hot liquid. It steamed down my throat. I licked my lips, taking in the extra hot chocolate.

My gaze moved across the small café. Civilians shuffled in, curled up in warm coats. They ordered hot drinks. Their cheeks were red from the blistering cold. It had decreased severely overnight. It was nearing winter, and soon we would have snow falling.

I sighed. A bell dinged and I turned my attention to the door, only to see Grant walking in. Behind him… Oh no…

Zach.

Zach and Cammie.

Zach and Cammie and Grant were here.

I shoved my body further into the corner and looked down, forming a wall of hair between me and them. I kept my gaze down, but I kept my gaze on them through a glass the entire time.

They sat down at a table. Zach wrapped his arm around Cammie's shoulders. He leaned closer and kissed her cheek. I smiled. They were cute together. Then I watched Zach's lips moved, followed by Cammie's hitting his chest, laughing and pressing her face against his shoulder.

My attention turned to Grant, only to find him staring right at me. My breath caught, my eyes widened. He only smiled before turning his attention back to Zach and Cammie. It was beyond me what was going on in that head of his.

A minute later he glanced over again, his smiling widening. Remembering to be subtle as I did it, I raised my hand and flipped him off. I watched as he supressed a laugh, as if he thought this was all a joke. Maybe on the outside that's what it looked like. Even though he was in on the whole CIA versus Circle of Cavan versus Mridity, he was still on the outside. He didn't understand what my father was really like. I would be dead if my dad knew I let Grant live even though we bumped into each other a few times.

_Buzz_.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a message from the devil himself. I glared as it read the name Charles. It wasn't Dad, Daddy, or even Father. Those were normal ones for norml daughters. No, it was Charles.

_Come home._

I sighed. I finished my hot chocolate and stood. The thought of pulling on the hood of my sweater came to mind, but instead I just walked right past Zach, Grant, and Cammie. I saw all of them look at me.

I heard Cammie whisper, "She's here?"

"Apparently." Zach said.

I just smiled and walked out of the café. Chilly, swirling air assaulted me. I looked back at the café as I quickly zipped my coat. Zach, Grant, and Cammie were getting up and leaving. Grant's icy blue gaze found me easily. He never looked away, not once. Not as I began walking away, or as I hailed a taxi.

Then again, neither did I.

"Hold on!" Cammie called after me. I looked over my shoulder as I climbed into a taxi. She was the first one out the door, her brownish blonde hair swirling around her slim frame.

"Should I wait?" The taxi driver asked.

I slammed the door and said, "Go."

He drove away and I watched as they all became smaller. Just before we turned a corner, I saw them get into a car.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Just around the corner." I said. I looked over my shoulder and, luckily, didn't see them coming after me yet.

The driver stopped just around the corner and I quickly got out. I went into a shop and out the backdoor, into the alley behind it. I crossed through it and, after looking to make sure they weren't nearby, I blended into the street, with the groups of people.

From there I went to the mansion and found my dad. He was waiting in the main foyer.

"What took you so long?" My dad asked, his tone demanding. Hard and rough.

I shrugged. "What did you need?"

"I have a job for you." My dad said.

_Oh joy_.

"Wesley Keller. He's at the Montcalm Hotel. Now might be a good time to tell you that he is a member of the Circle." My dad told me.

I nodded and went to my wing, where I continued on to my computer room. Yes, I had an entire room for all my 'tech stuff'. I sat in my chair and turned to my main computer. It was already on.

My eyes narrowed.

_It was on_.

I gritted my teeth together and entered a password, an incorrect one. The error message came up, as well as a message telling me how many tries I had left: two.

I pursed my lips. It starts with five tries. Someone was in here and I was going to find out who. First, I put in the real password. Then I went around the room and picked up the small, micro cameras I always had set just in case.

When the computer was set, I uploaded the footage from them. My eyes narrowed as I saw Xavier on it, trying to hack into my computer. He tried a few times before he left. I would have to do something about that.

I rolled my eyes. I set up the cameras again, just in case. If he tried once – for whatever reason – he would do it again. What was he after though?

I shook my head. There was no time for this. I hacked into the database of the Montcalm Hotel and found what room Wesley was in: 461. Then I found out when he was supposed to checkout: a day from now.

_Wesley, you'll be _checking out_ a little early._

Getting into Wesley's room was easy enough. The hotel's security proved to not be very good. I checked his room for anything useful, finding seven guns, two discs, and a list of targets. I scanned down the list, my eyes narrowing when I spotted names I knew. Like hell I was going to let him kill them.

_Zachary Goode_

_Cameron Morgan_

_Grant Newman_

_Rebecca Baxter_

I didn't know all of them that well, but there was no way I could let him kill Zach. Then I saw the last two names on the list. One of them was my dad's name. the funny thing about all of this was that the last name… it was mine.

_Lexine _._

I pocketed the list and the two discs. They could prove to be important. Before Wesley came back, I emptied the guns of their bullets. All except one of course.

Then I sat on his bed, sitting the loaded gun on my lap, and waited.

And waited…

And waited…

How long was he going to take? I mean, _really_. I didn't have all day. Then, when I was getting impatient, the door opened. I was ready to kill Wesley, but he wasn't the one who entered.

Instead, Zach and Grant did.

They saw me and their eyes widened. I groaned and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"We should be asking you." Zach said. Then he looked at Grant and smirked. Oh jeez, I knew that smirk. It was similar to the one I wore a lot. "She the girl who beat you at your own game _twice_?"

Grant grumbled, "Shut up."

I looked at Zach and asked, "So, who are you? His sidekick?"

"Sidekick?" Zach raised an eyebrow. He just shook his head, chuckling. "I'm sure you already know who I am."

"Smart boy." I smirked. Then I looked at Grant and my smirk widened. "Last night was _fun_. We should do that again. Trust me, I could make it worth your while."

"What did you even _do_ with her?" Zach asked. He moved to the side, his eyes always on me. I saw his hand move to his pocket.

Grant's face reddened. "Nothing!"

"Don't even think about it, Zachy," I taunted, patting the handy gun in my lap. "Grant, you hurt me so, saying that it was nothing." I pouted. Playing with these guys was amusing.

Zach's hand froze for a second before dropping. Still, he moved around the room. His gaze moved from one object to another.

"Well," Grant reddened more, "I guess it wasn't _nothing_, but it wasn't _something_."

"Everything is something." I said at the same time Zach did. I looked at him and couldn't help but smile.

"I swear, you two could be siblings." Grant said, shaking his head. I nearly choked. "Lexi?"

"Oh gosh, Grant, you're riot! Siblings… as if!" I laughed.

Zach just chuckled and kept looking around the room. I knew he was looking for something.

"You're not going to find anything important. The only thing was a list of targets." I told him. No need to tell them the complete truth. He stilled and looked at me. "You're on it." I looked at Grant and added, "So are you."

"Hand that list over. There are two of us and one of you." Zach said.

"I have one gun in my lap and six more to go. You really want to try me, Zachy?" I taunted. Sure, the six guns were _empty_, but they were still guns.

"Why do you need so many guns?" Grant asked, edging forward.

I rolled my eyes and said, "They're not _mine_."

"Why do you need the list?" Zach questioned. I shrugged. He moved closer. I realized they were closing in on me. "Do you even need it?"

"No, not really." I said. I took it out and looked down the list again. "I have a photographic memory anyway. I guess I could hand it over… or I could burn it." I smirked. Zach began moving to me quicker. "Remember, I have guns."

"You won't shoot. You're nothing but a kid in this whole thing. What, eighteen, nineteen? You don't have the guts to shoot." Zach said. I could see it in his eyes, he seemed so sure of himself.

Then the door opened.

Wesley stepped inside and his eyes widened as he saw all of us. He reached to his pocket, where a gun must be, but before he could even pull it out I raised my gun and shot. He fell to the ground.

Dead.

"Don't I, Zach?" I asked quietly. I stared at the dead body with no emotion on my face, the mask back up. I dropped the gun on the bed and stood up. "If you clean up the mess, I'll give you the list."

"Deal." Zach said. I had a photographic memory anyway. I knew every name on the list. Still, he put his hand out but he watched me carefully.

I went to Zach and handed the list over. "It's in better hands now anyway."

I'm done here.

He's safe.

I left and they let me, but not before Grant called to me, "Lexi, I can see that you don't like what side you're on. You don't have to do this."

"Except I do." I whispered, knowing they could hear me. They just wouldn't know what I meant. They could have easily thought that I meant I liked what side I'm on. Wrong.

"Did you find anything important?" My dad asked me when I returned. He looked at me, watching carefully. I just shook my head. "You took a while. Did something happen? Maybe something you're forgetting to mention? Lexi, you know better than to lie to me." He stepped closer to me. "I expected you back much, _much_ earlier."

"Wesley took longer to get back than I expected him to. I had to stay there a while, just waiting." I told him. It was the truth.

"Nothing else?" he confirmed.

"Dad, I'm tired, okay? I already told you why I took so long." I said.

His eyes narrowed, but he nodded curtly and walked off. I went to my wing, only to find the door to my computer room open. I silently went to it and peered in, finding Xavier trying to hack in.

"Xavier," I said with icy coolness.

"Lexi." He jerked up and put up a mask. I could see the traces of shock leave his eyes as he stared me down, as if _I_ was the intruder. I glared and put my hand on my hip.

"Mind telling me what you're doing in _my_ computer room?" I demanded, stepping closer.

He clenched his jaw and said, "I am simply checking to make sure your security is up to par."

Sure you are.

I rolled my eyes.

"I don't think you need to do that _twice_, now do you?" I took another step in and my glare hardened.

He took the hint and slowly said, "I suggest you keep up the good work with your security."

"I will."

Still, he didn't move, not even when my glare hardened another time. This guy just couldn't take a hint. I was getting tired of this crap.

"Get out."

He shuffled out, grumbling to himself. I closed the door behind me after watching him leave my wing. Then I grabbed a few USB sticks and uploaded everything I had on my computer to the sticks. Then I wiped everything off of my computer, having a password protect nothing.

Then I went to my bedroom and grabbed my laptop, putting the first disc I found into it. I downloaded the contents, doing the same with the second one. The second one took a lot longer to download, meaning there was a lot more on it. That made me wonder what _exactly_ was on it.

When it was finally downloaded and I ejected the disc, putting it in its case. Then I opened up the first file. A blueprint was pulled up. I realized after that it was a floor plan of a mansion. I was just about to go to the more interesting file when I noticed something.

This floor plan was of _my_ mansion.

If there was one copy of this file, then there was likely more. Much more. I could only imagine how much more. If this got into the wrong hands... such as the Circle or the CIA, then I would be dead.

"What do we have here?" I mumbled as my eyes scanned over a detailed passage. It was one that even I didn't know about. The entrance of it was in library on the third floor. It led to a room below the basement. Far as I knew before there was _nothing_ below the basement. The passage would probably kill me, as it was like a laundry chute that went straight to that hidden room… as it was a several floor fall.

My jaw stiffened and I immediately began looking for other passages I didn't know about, but I couldn't find any. Either there weren't any more, or whoever made this plan just didn't know of any more.

I switched to the next file when I was sure that there was nothing else of interest. That was something I checked for multiple times.

It was a good thing that I didn't let anyone have these discs. Zachh and Grant would be _good_ people to give this to, as they would give it to the CIA and my dad would end up dead, btu it would also put my life in danger. If I gave it to my dad he would know someone was trying to kill him. Then again… who _wasn't_ trying to kill him?

The second file was a list, but every name rang a warning bell in my head. Why? Because all the names were aliases used by my dad and me for the last fifteen years.

Every.

Single.

Alias.

* * *

**The long wait is over! I just finished my NaNoWriMo book for this month (there's gonna be another of these in July, just a heads up)! My goal was 60,000 words (10,000 higher than the norm) and I got 75,030! That's my finished book (draft one, I mean)!**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter. I know it's been a long time, but now I can focus on my fanfics. That said, I'm probably still going to write other things as well. I'll try to get another chapter up by next week, but if not then, count on one for sometime in the week after that.**

**- cammieXzach9900**


	5. Great Wall

**Chapter 5**

**-Lexi-**

Ringlets of gold cascaded down the sides of her face and over her chest. Eyes of blue sought mine out and a glint was set deep in them. She walked towards me with patient strides, but there was purpose in her award winning smile. Everyone stared when she entered a room and she loved it.

"Ellie," I said when she finally reached me, "I can't believe you went to see Paris without me."

The onlookers just shrugged and looked away. To them we just seemed like a couple of rich girls. They were right in a sense, but we were so much more.

In a lower tone, Ellie told me, "It's not _my_ fault that she took a bullet to her shoulder." Then she looked me dead in the eye and asked, "Now what's this emergency you were telling me about on the phone?"

"Not the place or time." I mumbled. We walked out of the small café, the same one I had been spotted at by Grant and his friends. My gaze moved around the street. "Ugh, just my luck."

"What?" Ellie asked.

"A guy I know and _really_ don't want to bump into." I muttered.

He stood near the street, half leaning on a telephone booth. It was one of the older ones. It was more of a tourist spot than a phone people would actually use. Just as we were about to turn and go the other way, he looked over his shoulder and straight at me. A grin rose to his lips immediately.

"Too late." Ellie said, laughing from beside me. Grant looked at her and the grin faltered for a second. "Oh, looks like he doesn't like me."

"Spy." I muttered.

Ellie's gaze didn't so much as waver and she kept it positive, but her voice came out in an annoyed whispered, "No wonder he doesn't like me. I'm an obstacle."

"That you are." I smirked.

She whacked my arm and laughed. "Shut up. I'm not that bad."

"You're the seductress of the south." I corrected her, receiving another whack on the arm.

"And you, my friend, aren't exactly a plain Jane yourself." Ellie told me. I watched as Grant's grin widened at that. He must be listening carefully. "Looks like Stalker Boy agrees."

"Of course he does. After all I nearly-." I immediately stopped myself and began walking quickly.

"You nearly what?" She demanded and grabbed onto my arm. Her eyes were lit up with curiosity and I knew I wouldn't get away without telling her. "Did you go cowgirl style on that fine piece of meat?"

Both Grant and I choked.

"Well?" Ellie asked, as if she did nothing wrong.

I pulled my arm out of her grip, aware of my burning cheeks, and started away from her. Ellie was persistent though. She kept up with me with ease and whispered, "Later?"

"Later."

We passed Grant, but I looked in a window and saw the reflection of him walking behind us. I rolled my eyes at his lack of subtlety. Then again, was there any point in being subtle now? It's not as if we didn't know he would follow us. I knew he was in charge of keeping an eye on me. That much was made obvious.

I sighed and glanced over my shoulder, telling him, "You might as well just walk with us. It's not as if you're doing a good job at being subtle or stealthy anyway."

"Who says I'm trying?" Regardless, Grant came closer and fell into step with me. He glanced across me, at Ellie. She was already watching him.

"Just like you weren't trying when I smashed your head into the ground over and over again?" I asked sweetly, batting my eyelashes. Grant chuckled at my teasing. "Or when I ditched you in the rain? Oh, or maybe when I-."

"We get it." Grant grumbled, a ting of pink taking over his cheeks.

I laughed and looked from Grant to Ellie. "Grant, this is my friend Ellie. Ellie, this my stalker Grant."

"Hey Ellie." Grant said pleasantly.

"If that's what stalkers look like now, then I need to get myself a few stalkers." Ellie grinned and winked at Grant, who could do nothing more than laugh.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder when I would be able to talk to Ellie about the true problem. My mind reeled back to the discs, sending a shiver through me. I glanced over my shoulder, but there was no one there. As I looked back, I noticed the stare Grant had on me. He was smiling, but I could see the seriousness in his eyes. I quickly looked away as I realized he caught onto my nervousness.

"It's really too bad things had to turn out this way." Ellie said, pulling my attention back to her. We both looked at her curiously, but she just smiled and added, "You two are pretty cute together."

I snorted.

Ellie laughed and said, "At least physically. Your views are probably so different that it could never work anyway."

Then a thought came to me. "I think it's time to do what we were planning. Let's go to the mall."

"Of course." Ellie played along.

"Great." Grant muttered from beside me.

We walked to the mall, my gaze connecting with Ellie's through the reflection on the windows. A good hour was spent just looking around at different stores. Then I suddenly said, "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Grant asked immediately.

"You can go part of the way if you want, but you can't come all the way with me." I told him. Then I rolled my eyes and added, "I'm going to the washroom."

Grant cleared his throat and mumbled, "I'll walk you there."

"I'll be here." Ellie said, not letting her gaze go to me. She kept it on the line of clothes.

I began walking away with Grant by my side. As a group of guys leered at me, I felt a strong, warm around wrap around my shoulders, pulling me close and bumping my shoulder with Grant's. I looked up at him, my eyes widening.

"G-Grant?"

"It's pathetic," he said, glaring at the guys. They immediately backed off and went to harass some other girl. "They actually thought they had a chance with a girl as beautiful as you are."

"Are you always this blunt?" I mumbled.

He looked at me and smiled warmly. "Yeah, pretty much. I'm about as blunt as someone can be. Opposite of you, of course."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"You keep everything inside. Like earlier, you seemed paranoid but you kept it inside. You put on a smile and acted through your worry. Lexi, I notice a lot more than you seem to think," he told me and squeezed my shoulder, "especially about you."

"Why?" I demanded.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you pay so much attention to me?" I questioned.

"You're interesting." Grant admitted. Again, he smiled. There was something weird about this man. We were on opposite teams, yet he seemed to always come to me. Maybe it was just because it was his job, but then why would he keep getting closer and closer to me? Even now he had his arm around my shoulders and called me beautiful. "Besides, I want to help you."

"What do you mean?" We're on opposite sides." I said.

"I don't mean a mission or anything," he immediately said.

"Then what?" I asked as we continued to walk to the washroom.

"I can tell you don't like what you're doing. Is someone forcing you to do all of this?" Grant asked. Then he frowned and guessed, "Your dad?"

"Stay out of my business." I jerked from his grip as I said the words through clenched teeth. "You don't know me or understand why I do what I do, so don't start thinking you do. I'm perfectly fine with how my life is."

"Are you really?" he whispered, but I heard him. He knew I heard him.

I broke away from him and went into the washroom. I immediately opened the window, making sure it was a loud show. I heard the loud "shit!" from outside. Footsteps pounded away from the washroom. With a smirk, I made my way to the door. I looked at the mirror and scowled at what I saw.

A girl taught to kill.

I tore my gaze from the mirror and left the washroom. Through the mall I just barely saw Grant disappear into the crowd. I met up with Ellie on the second floor. On her phone I saw her watching Grant, after hacking into the mall's security cameras.

"So what did you nearly do?" Ellie grinned at me. "Let's face it, he's sex on wheels."

I rolled my eye sand said, "Only a kiss. It was just to distract him."

"And you didn't even get to go through with it?" She asked, frowning.

"My dad was done with what he needed to do." I said with a shrug.

"Does he know about Grant?" Ellie asked.

I knew what she meant. If my dad knew about Grant, then he would be dead. She knew that all too well. I quickly shook my head no. Understanding filled her face and she smirked.

"Look who's being all sneaky to see her stalker." Ellie taunted.

"I don't care about Grant." I told her, rolling my eyes.

"Then tell your dad about him." Ellie suggested.

"No," came out of my mouth before I even realized I parted my lips.

It came as a shock to me. What did I care if Grant died? The answer of him being Zach's friend came to my mind seconds later. That had to be why. It wasn't as if I cared for Grant. It was Zach I cared for, and he would be hurt if his best friend died. I can't let that happen to my brother, whether he knows about me or not.

"Just promise me you'll be safe about this." Ellie said quieter. She looked at me. "I don't want to see you hurt, by Grant or your dad."

"Hurt?" I questioned, snorting. "My dad would kill me."

To people passing by I probably looked like some spoiled girl complaining about some trivial thing, over exaggerating how mad my dad would be. If they knew the truth, disaster would strike. It wouldn't be long before they were all dead. My dad doesn't care who he has to kill.

"And what would Grant do?" Ellie asked.

"He _is_ with the CIA, so either turn me in or kill me as well. Ellie, this is just a game we're playing. All he's supposed to be doing right now is watch me, I guess. Then again, the first time I met him he was going to kidnap me." I told her in an undertone.

She sighed and asked, "When isn't someone trying to kidnap or kill you?"

I snorted.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Like you're one to talk."

She laughed and admitted, "True. Now back to business. What are you so worried about that you needed me to come back?"

"Let's go somewhere private." I told her.

We left the mall, being careful to watch out for Grant. Through the loudness of the streets, I told Ellie what happened. With her exceptional hearing, she heard iut while everyone else couldn't over the volume of everyone else.

Just as we almost made it to her hotel room, as she didn't want to go home to her dad when she flew in, I spotted Grant. Not only him, but there was Zach next to him. They saw me and immediately began walking over. I saw Zach's hand move to his pocket and I saw the beginning of a napotine patch.

"Just great." I groaned. "Can today not just be easy? I'm in enough shit as it is."

That seemed to get Grant's attention. He muttered something to Zach that made them both falter slightly.

"Come on." I whispered.

We whipped around and ran through the crowd, away from the guys. I knew that they immediately began running after us. That napotine patch wasn't for nothing after all. It looks like they were back to their kidnapping plan. I had no idea _why_ they wanted me, but they did.

Ellie and I weaved past people, yelling, "Excuse us!"

We got a lot of angry looks, but most people just shrugged and moved out of our way. Sadly, that also meant they were moving out of the guys' way.

"Brick Wall?" Ellie suggested, using the codename for one of our escpape plans.

"Too many civilians."

"Shrieking Widow?"

"We don't have a tightrope."

She sighed and said, "I don't see you coming up with any ideas."

"Just keep running." I insisted. I looked over my shoulder and saw them hot on my trail. "They're only after me, you know."

"I am _not_ abandoning you," she insisted hotly, turning to glare at me.

"Just hear me out." I told her, sighing. We turned a sharp corner, nearly falling right into a small group of girls. We managed to weave out of the way just in time. "You get out of here and I do the Great Wall."

She was silent for a few seconds before saying, "That could actually work."

"Now would be the best chance. They haven't quite caught up yet. They're still around the corner." I said.

"Call me when you get home," she told me before running in a different direction. At least she was away and safe. Well, she would be.

I looked over my shoulder and saw them turn the corner and hurry after me, neither looking out of breath. Then again, neither was I. There would need to be a lot more strain put on me to make me breathless from running. I just kept going, pushing my legs faster and harder.

Finally, the crowds began to slowly lessen and lessen as I reached a large ledge that oversaw a vast amount of the town. The ledge should have been empty, but there were two men standing by it. This would wreck everything.

I heard Grant and Zach behind me, but I stopped as the two unknown men turned around and smirked at me. In the hands of one of them was a gun. I heard the two mutters of "shit," from behind me.

These two men… were the same ones from New York City.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**Haha, I just had to add that in. But really, who saw that coming? Also, why do you think Grant and Zach are trying to kidnap Lexi?**

**I'm really looking forward to all of your feedback, so offer it up in a nice review/comment/whatever you wanna call it :)**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, probably in a week or 2. I'm trying to get more regular with my updates, but we'll see how long that last. Wish me luck with that! Haha, I'll need it.**

**- cammieXzach9900**


	6. Guns and Sandwiches

**Chapter 6**

**-Lexi-**

"Hello again," one man said, stepping forward. I recognized him as the man who took me by surprise in the hallway and knocked me from behind. "Emma, or maybe you would prefer Heather. Oh, or Kate."

I froze. Those were a few of my more common aliases. How many of them did these guys know?

"You can't forget Delia or Rina or Irene," the other man said, snickering. "Which would you prefer?"

"The one where you both die." I told them flatly.

They were going to say something, but then their gaze went behind me and the first man demanded, "You?!"

"Hello Dean," came Zach's voice from behind me, and not too far behind either. He was almost a foot away from me. That probably meant Grant was close as well. I glanced at Zach and saw his attention go to the other man. "And Tyler. What brings you two here?"

"Just hand the girl over and we won't have to hurt you." Dean told him.

An arm suddenly wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me until I connected with a chest. I looked up and saw Grant just as he said, "She's coming with us."

"Bad choice, boys." Tyler said.

Dean, the one with the gun, raised it and targeted Zach. The arrogant grin he had made he sure he would shoot.

Maybe that was why I shrugged Grant's arm off and said, "Oh please, I'm not coming with anyone."

"Lexi, just stop. You're coming with us." Grant told me.

Dean laughed and told them, "It's a lost cause trying to make her come peaceful. I've been watching her long enough to know that."

"And just how long is that?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. My eyes narrowed in on them, only to discover that the target went from Zach to me. "Don't you need me alive?"

"Oh we'll keep you alive," Tyler told me, smirking, "just barely."

I put a hand on my hip and smirked, "Bring it."

"You're being an idiot." Zach told me.

"And you're going to get a bullet through your head if you don't stop talking." I told him flatly.

"She has a point." Tyler said, and pulled another gun from his pocket.

"Two guns. _Great_." I grumbled. I looked around for anything I could use or do to get out of here alive. These guys meant business, both groups. I didn't know why they each wanted me, but I knew I'd rather go with Grant and Zach. At least Grant I could trick and get away from.

"Just come peaceful." Dean told me.

"With two guns pointed at me, what choice do I have?" I asked and slowly stepped forward.

"Seriously?" Tyler asked, wide-eyed. I nodded. I moved forward, but then a hand grasped my wrist. "Let her go! I'll shoot you!"

"Lexi, don't do this. There's three of us, we can take them." Grant told me.

I simply yanked my hand away and continued moving towards the men in black. I told Grant, "It's useless. There's no way this can work."

Dean and Tyler smirked at Zach and Grant, but then they suddenly raised the guns to behind me and yelled, "Stop or we'll shoot!"

I moved closer, only a foot away from the men in black. Then I shoved my body forward and pushed one off the ledge, only to sidestep the other one as he swung his gun in my direction. I ducked and rolled as he shot, grabbing his ankle as I did. His body fell to the floor and I grabbed the gun from him.

"Who's in control now?"

Dean looked up at me and grimaced, staring into the barrel of the gun. Then I heard a laugh from behind me and Grant saying, "She's good."

"That's going to make it more difficult for us." Zach said.

I shot Dean in the leg.

"Now you're going to tell me what you want from me." I said.

"Never," he bit out.

I shrugged and said, "Doesn't matter much to me either way."

I shot him again, but this time in the head. Then I turned to Grant and Zach, waving the gun around and asking, "You got a problem with this?"

"You're going to come with us." Zach told me.

"I'm really not." I said and smiled innocently.

"Lexi, we just need to know a few things." Grant insisted, stepping forward. I raised the gun at him, but he continued walking towards me. "You're not going to shoot me."

"You've seen me shoot guys before." I said.

"Yes, but you're not going to shoot _me_."

I looked down at the gun, and then to him. He was right. I couldn't shoot him as long as he's Zach's friend. So instead, I backed up and climbed onto the ledge.

"You guys want me? Then come and get me."

With that, I jumped off the edge, flinging the gun away from me in the process. As I fell, I ran my hands down the walls lightly, barely touching, until my fingers gripping a loose stone several feet down.

I looked up, only to see the guys looking down at me. I grinned and stuck my tongue out at them, surprising them both. I began climbing down, stone after stone. Then they suddenly left. That was fine by me.

I climbed down the rest of the wall and landed on the soles of my feet. I turned around, only to see Grant and Zach running down the street towards me. Well that failed. I ran away from them again, groaning.

Then two women stepped forward. I recognized them as Cammie and Bex. I groaned and turned a different way. These guys were definitely persistent. All I could do was keep running. I couldn't think of any plan. The nerves of being nearing Zach and his friends must have been getting to me.

"Excuse me!" I yelled when the crowd began to thicken. "Coming through! In a rush!"

People moved, shooting me more dirty looks. Then, from around the upcoming corner, Zach came, smirking at me. Wasn't he behind me? Shit.

I ducked into a store and stood at one of the shelves, in complete view of the cashier. Zach, followed by Grant in a minute, came in. They saw me and I smiled innocently. They glanced at the cashier and sighed before going around the store, but I knew they were staying close.

Cammie and Bex had to be waiting outside. I was running out of options quickly.

Then there was suddenly the feel of someone behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Grant, but it looked like he was only looking at some bags of chips.

"I promise we won't hurt you if you come with us." Grant said in an undertone.

"Yeah, because I haven't heard that before." I grumbled.

"I'm serious. I'm on your side, Lexi. I know you don't really want to be on your dad's side. I can see it when I look at you." Grant mumbled.

"Then you're blind." I said. I crouched down and pretended to look at some cereals.

"You told me yourself that you don't have a choice. That means you wouldn't be on that side if you didn't have to be." Grant told me.

Damn.

I just shrugged.

"We just need to know a few things. I swear I won't let them hurt you." Grant told me. His hand came lightly on my shoulder. "Lexi, you can believe me."

I saw Zach emerge from the aisle over, looking along the assortment of muffins. His gaze flickered to me for half a second.

"No. I can't trust anyone."

Both guys froze at my words, and probably at the detachment that came along with the words. Still, I rose and walked away from them. I went down another aisle of food, but still no escape plans came to my mind.

"Girl, do you need any help?" the cashier asked.

"No thank you, sir." I said, pushing sweetness into my voice. I watched as his gaze stayed on me longer than needed.

_Don't even think about it, buddy. I could kill you before you even knew what was happening._

I smiled at the secret thought and continued walking through the store, looking through reflections at where the guys were. Sometimes I could only see one, but most of the time I managed to at least see a glimpse of them both.

The lights blackened.

"What the hell?" the cashier demanded. Then he went to a back room, probably to get some sort of light.

My defenses all went up. I backed up so my back was to a way. I could only make out shadows of objects and the display cabinets. Then I spotted two moving shadows.

I immediately knew that them – or Cammie and Bex – were the ones to cut the power. Letting my instincts come forth, I went at them and struck my fist forward, only to be blocked and have my wrist twisted in a way that it wasn't supposed to go. Warmth came near my side and I immediately jerked my leg out, and by the cry of pain I guessed that I made contact with his _sensitive_ area.

Then a hand came to my neck, followed by more darkness.

* * *

Sore wrists were what I woke up to, and a stiff back and neck. My eyes didn't open. Instead, I breathed evenly and listened to what I could hear. There was silence, but then there was a laugh.

"Bex, come look at this." I heard a woman say. I guessed it was Cammie. Another laugh filled the air not long after.

My eyes cracked open a bit when I heard a door open. A soft light filtered into my vision, followed by a small hotel room with two beds, and a small kitchen, and probably a small bathroom somewhere. On those two beds was Cammie and Bex, sitting in front of a laptop. Closing a door was Grant. He started to look over just as I closed my eyes again.

"She's not awake yet." Cammie told Grant.

"Yes she is." Grant said, chuckling. I heard him step closer, until I could feel his warmth. "Isn't that right, Lexi?"

I opened my eyes and smiled at him, saying, "Well, isn't someone perceptive today? That's a change from the usual you."

Grant was knelt down, eye level with me. He just rolled his eyes. By now he understood this was the normal way I was. He probably also knew that I was trying to think of escape plans. Maybe that was why he laughed and smiled back at me.

Pain filled my wrist as I shifted slightly. I didn't flinch or wince, but still Grant's smile dropped and he asked, "Are you alright?"

It didn't matter much.

"Did you have to twist my wrist?" I demanded.

"That would be Zach's handiwork." Grant said, offering me a smile. "I had nothing to do with that. You, on the other hand, had to do with inflicting pain on me."

"Oh? Was it you I sacked?" I asked. He nodded. "Good."

The girls laughed from their spot on the bed, watching us with amusement. Then Grant shook his head and stood up, walking off to the small kitchen.

My gaze followed Grant as he moved away, but it shifted when the door opened. In came Zach and he suddenly had all my attention.

"Don't even think about it." Bex told me. "Grant would never be interested in you, and Zach is taken."

"By Cammie, I know." I said.

Zach stared at me hard and asked, "How do you know Cammie?"

I snorted and said, "_Everyone_ knows Cammie."

"She has a point." Grant said.

Cammie sighed and returned to looking at her laptop. Zach's gaze immediately shifted to her and a soft smile came to his lips. I saw the determination in his eyes and suddenly understood why he was so adamant on capturing me. He needed to know exactly who was after Cammie, but that list was endless.

Then he turned to me and said, "Now that you're awake… what are you doing?"

I realized then that I was squirming. My wrist was really starting to bother me. The pain was increasing as it lost the blood it needed.

"Well one, Mr. Arrogant Asshole," I started, causing a few chuckles to fill the room, "you twisted my wrist, so yeah I'm uncomfortable. And two, I can't _feel_ my wrist because the lack of blood circulating to it, but I _know_ there's pain surrounding it even though it's numbing."

"That's because you refused to come along easily. We really wouldn't have hurt you if you came quietly. After all, you are just a kid." Zach said.

"I'm only two years younger than you, Zachy." I insisted, watching as he glared, probably because of the nickname. "I've also seen a lot more than you have. Tell me, when's the first time you saw a dead body?"

Zach narrowed his eyes as he slowly said, "I was eleven."

"I was six." His eyes immediately widened, showing the different shades of green that I always saw when I looked in the mirror. "first time you killed someone?"

"Fifteen."

"Eight."

Zach didn't look at me like I was a monster – even though I was – and he didn't shy away. Instead, he looked at me with sympathy. He felt bad for me and I knew it. No one deserved to have to live the way I did. That was the exact reason I kept him out of this for so long. Now I couldn't even escape unless I died.

"Fine," he sufficed softly, "you're not a kid. Just tell me what I need to know and you can go."

I snorted.

"He's telling the truth." Grant said.

"As you may have guessed, I'm not new to this whole interrogation thing. I know you'll kill me once I give you what you want. That's how it always works. Besides, I'm too big of a danger right? I'm a threat and you want me dead, and you're not the first. The better question is who _doesn't_ want me dead." I drawled on, taking in the shock that filled their eyes. Their faces didn't betray their shock though. They just stayed calm and collected, especially Zach.

I suppose it was a talent we both acquired.

"We know there was more than just a list in Wesley's hotel room. Tell us what you took." Zach told me, watching my eyes carefully. It was a shock that he didn't realize how similar they were to his own.

I just shrugged and slumped back in my seat.

"You might as well start talking." Zach told me.

I smirked and, staring straight at him, said, "You might as well make me a sandwich, bitch."

* * *

**I got another chapter out! yay for me! I hope you guys liked it. I would have liked to get it out earlier, but I wasn't able to. Sorry :(**

**Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter. Have to say, I loved Lexi's last line :P**

**- cammieXzach9900**


	7. Useless Information

**Chapter 7**

**-Lexi-**

"You've sure have a big mouth on your for someone who's tied up." Zach said, glaring at me. He did raise a good point, I suppose. Maybe that was why my hand that wasn't twisted began to feel around the ropes. I wasn't going to underestimate these guys, but I certainly wasn't overestimating them either. Neither was a good route to take, especially when you don't know too much about your opponent. I know a lot about Zach, but not as much about the others. I would have to look into them after I get out of here.

"And you just have a big mouth in general." I told him, grinning and batting my eyelashes innocently. I tugged lightly at the rope, making sure to not be too noticeable. My gaze began moving from face to face. There had to be a way out of this, and I found it staring at me with soft blue eyes. I was sure I could use Grant somehow. No one else in this room would give me even half a chance, but Grant… he would. I could make him.

"As amusing as this is," Bex said, standing from the bed and walking over, "this is getting us nowhere."

"You feel like getting me a sandwich?" I questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"You're serious?" Bex asked.

"Seriously hungry, yeah." I said and smiled. It wasn't even really a lie. I was going to get a sandwich, whether it was now or after I escaped. "Who knows, I might even spill some info if I get some food."

I tugged the ropes, feeling the knot growing smaller. If I had the use of both my hands, then the knot would have already been gone, but this was the best I could do with only one hand in so little time. Whoever tied me up was very talented, that said a lot coming from me. Still, it would only be another minute or two until I was free.

"Lexi, can't you just go along with this and answer whatever we ask you? We want to stop your dad, and you obviously don't agree with what he does.

"Oh Grant," I said teasingly, "you should know me better by now. When has anything been that easy with me?"

"You don't need to be afraid of your dad, if that's what's holding you back." Cammie told me, but her gaze never left the laptop in front of her. That is, it stayed on the laptop until I laughed. She looked at me and asked, "What?"

"If you try to go after my dad you would be playing right into his hands. He would just_ love_ to get you, especially you, actually. He wouldn't care as much about the others, but you've already got quite a price on your head among Mridity members." I told her, shaking my head.

With one more tug of the rope, I could feel it unraveling. I quickly grabbed onto it to keep it from falling to the ground. If they saw the rope, then my element of surprise would be gone completely. I needed to figure out the timing I would need… and what exactly I was going to _do._

"I don't want to have to hurt you, considering you were forced into this life by your dad. If I have to, Lexi, I will." Zach told me.

"I'd like to see you try." I challenged.

Zach sighed. He began towards me, cracking his knuckles as he did so. I was just about jump up and make my move, letting my instincts take control, but then the door opened, and in came two people. One male, one female. Both looked fairly thin. The female, a skinny blonde, looked at me with shocked blue eyes.

"You caught her?" she asked.

"Barely." Zach grumbled. "Not that it's doing us any good."

"Maybe if you were any good at interrogating, this would be going better for you." I told him, rolling my eyes.

The male that came in just chuckled and shook his head at Zach. "Can't you handle her? She's just a kid."

I glared at him. "I'm only a couple of years younger, jeez. You guys need to get your facts straight. Do I need to go over what makes me not a kid again? Zachy over here sure got a surprise."

"She's not a kid." Zach said when the male - who I decided was probably Jonas, making the girl Liz - looked at him. Then Zach looked me straight in the eyes. "Lexi, we're here to take out your dad. We can protect you if you're afraid that he's going to try to kill you for betraying him."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted believe Zach, my brother, so much. The problem wasn't just my dad. He could easily get someone else to kill me. The Mridity was vast and very capable. Even if he didn't get a chance to tell someone to kill me, even if these guys managed to kill him, there would still be Mridity members sent after me.

The door opened again, but this time two men came inside, the same age as the rest of them. The first, the taller of the two, had a similar build to Zach's, but his hair was black and didn't have a single curl. His blue eyes found me and he grinned. I recognized him as Nick, having seen him come up a few times when looking up what Zach was doing a couple of time. He was one of Zach's friends, and also Macey's boyfriend. The second one was completely unknown to me. He had endlessly curly deep red hair, with hazel eyes that seemed calm as they stared at me.

Annoyance filled me as they both asked, "A kid?"

"Here we go again." Cammie said with a sigh.

I turned to Grant and demanded, "I don't really look that much like a kid, do I? Or do you just have a fetish for kids?"

Both of the guys who just came out burst out laughing, while a red-faced Grant stumbled to say, "You don't! I… I don't! You're just young and pretty and young."

"So Grant has a thing for the leader's kid?" Nick chuckled, shaking his head.

"That's just plain wrong." The other guy said.

"Nick, Jeremy, I really don't." Grant insisted.

I pouted and said, "You don't? I'm so disappointed, Grant."

He turned to me with his mouth dropping open. I had to try hard to keep from laughing. Nick just laughed and said, "dude, you're digging your own grave. You don't say that in front of the girl you're talking about."

"How did I get caught up in this?" Grant groaned.

"Oh don't you remember?" I teased. "It all started with your head being smashed into the pavement."

"Trust me, I remember," he grumbled dryly.

"Can we just get this over with?" Jeremy asked.

Then, suddenly, Grant came over and motioned Zach away. Zach looked uncertain for a moment, but then he moved. Grant knelt down in front of me, dropping his hands onto my knees. He looked at me with those sincere blue eyes of his. My hands slacked and I almost dropped the rope. My hands quickly tightened around the rope again, keeping the illusion that I was tied up.

"Lexi, talk to me, please." Grant said. I could see Zach edge closer, his gaze pinned on me. "I know it's hard for you to trust us, but we can help you."

"No you can't." I told him quietly.

"You have to trust me, Lexi. Forget everyone in the room, I don't care. It doesn't matter to me if you don't trust them." Grant didn't even bother looking at his partners, his friends. I had to admit that that earned him major respect points. Still, I knew it was no use.

I shook my head and told him, told them all, "There's too much at risk. I can't take this chance, no matter what. I want to be able to trust you, but I just can't. Don't you get it, Grant? This is bigger than me? If I help you, I'll be putting myself between your group and the Mridity. Let's face it, I'm a lot more worried about the Mridity than of you. They terrify me, while you… don't. Besides… there's more than just fear keeping me back."

Then I glanced at Zach, despite my better judgment. He stared right back, his mask that I recognized so well was already up. I took a deep breath and said, "What you were thinking is right. There was more in that hotel room. I took them for myself. There were two disks, neither of which I would give you. One has the diagram of my entire mansion, while the other has every alias of both my father and I. My father doesn't know about the disks."

"I thought you just said there's too much at risk." Nick inquired.

"There's too much at risk if I tell you something that can actually help you. What good will that information be if you don't have the disks?" I glanced at him, cocking an eyebrow.

"So you're teasing us with the information?" he asked.

I smirked and said, "Well, I am a tease. Even ask Grant if you don't believe me."

Nick laughed and demanded, "Dude, what did she do with you?"

"Nothing!"

"Do we have to go over the concept of everything being something again?" I joked.

Zach just sighed and ran his hand through his hair. I knew he must be feeling exhausted after all of this, while most of the others were amused. The girls were on the bed, trying to keep in their laughs, while the guys were out right laughing. Nick went as far as walking over and patting my head. Now was as good a time as any to make my move. With two of the guys close, I could knock them out quick.

Yes, that's what I would do. My gaze swept around the room, while I played it off as stretching my neck. My gaze focused on the balcony and I had to suppress the smirk. I moved quickly, jerking up and grabbing both Grant and Nick's head, smashing them together. People jumped all around the room, alerted by my movement. I tossed them away and, with a smirk on my lips and the rope in my hands, sidestepped away from the rest of them.

Jeremy was the first one to come at me, but I sidestepped again and threw my hands forward, only to twist them quickly and trap his arms in the rope. Then I ducked down and pulled his leg out from underneath him, only to have someone jump at me. My fist came out before I knew what was happening, but Bex easily blocked it. We went at it for quite a bit, enough time for us to get surrounded.

I back-stepped.

She smirked.

I back-flipped, in which I landed with my hands on Jonas' shoulders. He tried to flip me back into the fight, but I was already off his shoulder and darting away from them all before he could do so. I ran across the room, aware of Zach on my tail. I shoved the balcony doors open and ran into the fresh air. It swirled around me. I was on the railing of the balcony before Zach could stop me.

"You'll die if you jump," he warned me as his hand clasped around my wrist.

"Stop acting like you actually care!" I snapped and jerked my wrist out of his grip. I climbed off the balcony, onto the siding of the building. Zach was too much bigger to move as quickly as I could across the siding.

My foot slid across the siding as I moved further away. I looked over my shoulder, my deep brown hair flying all over the place, and called out to him, "I'm not staying with him purely out of fear, at least not for myself. I made a deal with him, one that will secure the life of someone I care about dearly."

"Who?" Zach demanded.

I just smiled.

Then my gaze turned down, to where there were a good thirty levels below me. I didn't hesitate as I jumped. I performed another Great Wall, grabbing onto different balconies as I did the procedure over and over again. As I looked up, I decided that I like Zach's friends. They were amusing to be around. Then again, if I didn't leave right now, I would have to be around them again. That was my resolve as I ran away from the hotel and made my way home.

As soon as I stepped in the door, which wasn't until it was late into the night, Xavier was demanding, "Where were you so long?"

"Out." I brushed past him and went to my room. Laying on my bed was a dress. That was when I remembered that the dance was tomorrow. I grinned. That would be an interesting dance, especially after everything that happened today.

I pulled my phone out and called Ellie.

"It's about time!"

I laughed and said, "Sorry. They got me, but I'm fine now. How long was I gone?"

"Nine hours."

"Wow. That's never happened to me before." I laughed.

She sighed. "I love how you're more amused than worried about this."

"Why worry?" I asked, as I looked down at the dress in front of me. "Everything is going to be perfectly fine."

"If they could get you once, then they can easily do it again." Ellie reminded me.

I sighed. She did have a point. I don't know if I could risk going through that again. I enjoyed being in the same room as all of them, but being tied to a chair — or anything for that matter — wasn't exactly something I looked forward to. Besides… next time, my dad might get involved. I was lucky this time, lucky that he didn't find out what was going on.

In a lower voice, I said, "If anyone asks, I was out with you the entire day."

"Of course."

Then there was a knock on my door.

"I have to go. I'm sure I'm in for quite a lecture." I said before hanging up. I picked the dress up and held it out in front of me, inspecting it. "Come in."

"Do you like it?" My dad asked.

"It's pretty." It was the truth in this case.

It was a mint green mini dress with a strapless bodice, with a pointed strapless neckline. It looked as if it would be form fitting, used to wrap around my curves. Lace and sheer stripes worked well on the dress. The colour would work exceptionally well with my emerald eyes, as it would enhance the striking look of them.

"The dance tomorrow is less formal. Xavier got something fitting for the occasion. The dress isn't all he got you." My dad informed me.

"Well, I kind of figured there would be shoes to go with this." I said.

"I wasn't talking about the shoes, but there are those as well." My dad said.

I looked over my shoulder at him with a questioning look. At least I was able to distract him from the problem at hand. He walked over to my desk and picked up a choker of the same look of the dress, as if it was taken from the dress itself. He handed it to me.

"That will fit perfectly. There are shoes too though, right?" I asked, almost sadly. Shoes Xavier pick tend to hurt.

"Xavier will give you those tomorrow." My dad said, clearing his throat. Here we go. I knew it was coming now. I placed the choker on my bedside table and laid the dress back on the bed, but still looking like I was looking over every detail of it. "You were gone an awfully long time today."

"Ellie's back in town for a little while. I was hanging out with her." I said nonchalantly.

My dad told me, "I see. I suppose that makes sense. You haven't seen her in quite a long time. Perhaps you should invite her to the party."

"That would be great!" I exclaimed. She could help me from being taken again. "I've got to call her right now!"

My dad chuckled before heading for the door, only telling me, "Goodnight, Lexi."

I called Ellie and said, "There's a party tomorrow and my dad told me I can bring you."

"Oh! Really?" Ellie asked. "I'll come, but what's the catch?"

"I'm not sure yet." There is one though. There's always a catch with my dad.

* * *

**It's been a long time since my last upload, but here it is. I finally managed to put this chapter together. It isn't one of my best, but it will have to do. I won't be able to upload much in July. I'm doing another NaNoWriMo, so I'll be pretty busy with that.**

**Anyway... I hope you liked the chapter! Please review! Oh, and the dress will be uploaded onto my site (which you can find via my profile) sometime today.**

**- cammieXzach9900**


	8. A Blacked Out Party

**Chapter 8**

**-Lexi-**

"You seem excited." Xavier noted, whereas he seemed more sullen than usual. He put a pair of mint green, heeled sandals in front of me. The heel was a large wedge, opposed to the usual stiletto. Still, I slipped my foot into it. I preferred this to a stiletto any day, even if in my hands — or feet — a stiletto is a very dangerous weapon.

"What's not to be excited about? This is more like my kind of party." I said. I stood and faced the mirror, glancing at the cluster of oval and round gems that made up the earrings hanging for three inches. That looked amazing in my hair, as he styled it like he did for the first party with the romantic curls. "Ellie's even going to be there."

"Yes. Ellie. Funny thing is that her father didn't even know she was back in town." Xavier grumbled.

"You know how she is." I said dismissively.

"That should do it." Xavier said before leaving.

I pulled out my phone and called Ellie. "Hey, are you going to meet me there or should I come pick you up?"

"I'll meet you there," she said, but then she added, "Do you look hot?"

"Well, I'd date me." I joked. I turned in front of the mirror, and had to admit that I did, in fact, look hot. Smoking hot, actually. I smiled at that. This dress would work perfectly. Just like I thought it would, it hugged my curves perfectly. I could have any man at his knees if I so wanted him to be.

She laughed and said, "Then I guess you'll be succeeding in making your little stalker want you."

"That isn't my intention." I insisted.

"Sure, sure." I could practically hear the eye roll.

"It isn't!" I said.

"Okay, I believe you." Ellie laughed before hanging up.

As I looked at the mirror, I mumbled, "It isn't."

Although, I had a feeling that I could get him to do practically anything for me if I played my cards just right. Even that brought a smirk to my glossed lips. Grant was in for a surprise tonight. I knew he would be there. After all, my dad and I were going to be there. His mission would make him go there, even if he wasn't planning on it. I have to say, he does look good all dressed up. I think I prefer him in casual clothes though. I thought about yesterday and smiled. Yes, casual clothes were much better.

I grabbed my silver, glittery clutch and put my phone in. Thankfully for me, the clutch had a small band that would allow me to keep it around my wrist. Then I flicked my hair over my shoulder as I left the room. I went down and met my dad, with Xavier just a few feet away. My dad's eyebrows rose and he glared at Xavier. His demand was, "Are you trying to get her knocked up?"

I snorted. Who would have thought my dad would have a protective side to him…

"With that attitude, no man in his right mind will approach her." Xavier grumbled. What was his problem?

I put my hand on my hip and questioned, "Can we just go already?"

"Is Ellie not coming?" My dad asked.

"She's going to meet me there." I told him. With that, we left the mansion and were soon on our way to the party. It was being held in another large mansion, where a Mridity meeting was going to be held. My dad didn't deny that there would be some dead men by morning. Instead, he just shrugged and smiled. It was a devious look on him. Then again, he was the devil's incarnation.

I stepped out of the car and strode inside the mansion, being greeted by numerous men just on the way inside. My eyes scanned around the expansive room decked down in what seemed to be a nightclub theme, as more men smiled at me and greeted me. Their gazes were glued to me until another toy entered their vision, but there was always someone watching me. Then my eyes found exactly what I was looking for, but there were two of which I wasn't exactly ecstatic to see.

Grant stood by a counter, getting a drink. By his sides were Zach and Nick, all of them joking around and laughing. I smirked and strode towards them. This time around Grant was dressed in a white dress shirt that was rolled up to his elbow, showing off his muscled forearms. That was paired with a pair of dark wash jeans. Looks like he was mixing formal with casual. I can't exactly object to that.

Zach was dressed in a dark red dress shirt, with the rest the same, and Nick had the same but a blue dress shirt. I didn't pay too much attention to them though, not as I came up behind Grant and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, his blond locks curving around his strong face. His vibrant blue eyes widened tremendously as he took in my appearance.

"Well shit." Nick muttered, mirroring Grant's look. Zach nearly choked.

"Uh-huh…" Grant murmured, blinking as if to make sure I was really there. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "You look good."

I laughed. "I gathered that much on my own."

"You look _really_ good."

I rolled my eyes and stepped past him. I leaned on the bar and called out, "Hey bartender, can I get a blow job?" He grinned and was in front of me within seconds. I cringed and leaned back, telling him, "I meant the shot."

Like usual, Nick was laughing. I had a feeling he was easy to get along with. He made the bartender even more embarrassed, but that got him to work on my shot quicker. He didn't even ask for an ID, which worked perfectly for me, even though I had a fake one anyway.

"You sure you should have a drink so soon?" Grant asked me, sliding closer.

"Don't worry, I can hold my liquor pretty good." I smirked at stepped closer, putting my hands on his chest and tilting my head slightly to the side. "Unless, of course… you don't want me to be…"

Just like that, he was speechless again.

I laughed and moved away, saying, "I'm sorry, I had to. It was right there."

"You're a compulsive flirt, aren't you?" Nick teased.

"Actually, yeah." I admitted, smiling easily.

"Seriously?" Zach asked. I nodded. "You haven't been flirting with us."

My smile fell away and I glared at my brother, immediately telling him, "Oh please, you're practically engaged. I'm not going to flirt with you." Among other reasons…

Zach's eyes widened. "Engaged?"

"Yeah, as soon as you get the balls to propose to Cammie." I said, putting my hand on my hip.

"Oh she got you there." Nick snickered.

"Who got who where?"

I looked to the voice and saw Cammie, with Bex to her side. Cammie was dressed in a white strapless, wraparound bodice with sleek pleats. It was topped with a sweetheart neckline and flared ruffles that sweep down the short skirt. A silver flower was placed on the side. Bex had on a navy, strapless mini dress with a sweetheart neckline that is detailed by a beaded trim. Crossed sashing defines the bodice and encircles the waist.

Cammie was by Zach's side in no time at all, her hand on his arm. Bex, on the other hand, was looking between Grant and I.

"I see she's here already." Bex said, her hard stare focused on me.

Great. Jealous ex-girlfriend. That's just what I needed.

"Here you are, Miss."

I turned around and saw the bartender, with his gaze stuck on my chest. I rolled my eyes and took it, only to chug it down. Then I put the glass on the counter as I got used to the taste going down my throat.

"Time to dance." I said, and noticed how Grant stood up straighter and moved a little closer. I moved away and caught a guy in his mid-twenties by the arm as he was walking by, saying, "Wanna dance?"

"Definitely," he said, grinning and pulled me close.

I looked over my shoulder at Grant, my hair curling around my slender body, and smirked. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open. It was mirrored by a few of them, actually. I laughed as I danced with this man, twisting and turning my body, looking over at Grant occasionally. We danced like that for a few minutes, but then I caught sight of Ellie walking to the bar. Grant was too busy staring at me to even recognize — or even look for that matter — her.

"Oh, my friend's here. Later dude." I said easily, leaving the man standing there. "Ellie!"

Her black strapless cocktail dress clung to her body. Twinkling gemstones were at the sides, complete with shimmering sequined embellishments. I hurried over to her and hugged her tightly.

"Well shit, you were right, you do look hot. I would totally date you as well." Ellie joked.

"Me? Look at you." I said, laughing. Then I glanced at the others. "You remember Grant, right?"

"The sexy stalker? Yup. These his friends?" Ellie said without missing a beat.

"Sexy stalker?" Grant muttered.

"She knows you?" Zach asked.

"She's the same as Lexi." Grant sufficed.

"No I'm not." Ellie insisted, rolling her eyes. "Grant, I'm not interested in banging you."

I clamped my hand over her mouth while a blush came over my face, saying, "Okay, that's enough small talk."

Ellie bit my hand, making me pull it away with a scowl. "I'm just saying what's true. I don't want to bang Grant. I mean, he is yours…"

"Is not." I insisted.

"… and he so wants you…"

"Not going to deny that one." I said, smirking.

"Oh please," Nick interrupted, rolling his eyes. Was he going to be the one to deny that Grant wants me, even after everything he's seen tonight, and even yesterday? "With that dress and those killer legs, there isn't a single guy here that doesn't want you."

Cammie cleared her throat.

Nick snickered and added, "Except Zach, of course."

"Yeah, but Grant isn't _serious_ about her." Bex put in quickly.

"Who says I'm serious either?" I asked.

Grant was the one who spoke this time: "You're not?"

"I flirt, I tease, I play. Grant, I'm not serious," I said and turned to him, placing my hands on his chest, "at least not yet. Maybe you can change my mind, maybe you can't." I moved my hand up to unbutton one of the buttons of his dress shirt, smoothing his shirt out after. "I'm willing to let you try, of course."

"Sorry to butt in and all, but any chance you could tell us what your dad's doing here tonight?" Bex asked. Oh please, you're not sorry. You're jealous and we all know it. Ellie barely knows you and she knows it.

"A meeting." I sufficed, but used the chance to move closer to Grant. His hands moved to my arms and trailed down them.

"About what?" Bex asked just as quick.

"I don't know." I groaned.

"Okay, if you're with Grant and Zach's taken, who can I play with?" Ellie asked.

"I'm single and all for playing around." Nick offered. That was a quick transfer of attention on Ellie's part.

"You're single?" I questioned.

He nodded and grinned. "Shocked that a body like this isn't tied down to someone?"

"No… I just thought you were with Macey. At least that's what the database said." I offered up. I'm sure they all went into the CIA's database every now and again.

"We hookup, yeah, but we're not together. It's just when we're looking for a fun time." Nick told me.

Bex opened her mouth and asked, "We need to know more about what your dad is doing here."

"Then figure it out for yourself." I said. Zach and Cammie just laughed. I looked up at Grant's bright blue eyes and glanced at the dance floor, before looking back at him. He grinned and pulled me away from his friends, while pulling me right up against him in the same motion. It was then that I realized this dress was pretty thin. Then again… most dresses were. Still, with his hands on me I couldn't help but think about how thin my clothes were.

I began to grind against Grant in tune to the music as we mixed with the other dancers, with his hands moving across my body. It became apparent to me that Grant was a good deal taller than I was. He leaned down, his breath hot at my ear. I could feel his muscles tighten as he bent down tot hat position.

"Enjoying yourself yet, Lex? I know I am. I don't ever want to move away from you."

"Y-yeah." I stammered. His breath was about as hot as my face was feeling, especially as his lips brushed against my ear. Looks like Grant knew how to play this game as well. I took a quick breath before trailing my hand up his body, placing it on his bare neck, feeling the heat and the hectic pulse. "Looks like someone's a little bit excited."

"You seem really different tonight. Is this how you get in clubs? Or is it just the dress talking?" Grant joked.

"Huh… I never thought about that. You might be right." I admitted. Was I acting that much different? I froze as I realized what it might be. "I swear I'm going to kill that bartender if he slipped something else into my blow job…"

"Your what…? Oh right." Grant chuckled. I felt him move as he glanced at the bar. "How do you normally feel after one shot?"

"Fine. A bit excited, but fine." I mumbled.

"And now?" Grant asked.

"I don't really… know…" I mumbled. I ran my hands up his neck and into his soft hair, tangling them. "All I know is that I really want to do this…"

"This?" he questioned, right before I pulled his head away from my ear. I crushed my lips to his, feeling the way his body stiffened before relaxing and kissing me back. His bright blue eyes widened at first, but then softened and closed. His lips felt right, they were the only thing I could focus on. My eyes closed and… I don't remember what happened from that point on.

* * *

Sun beat across my body when I finally began to wake up. My eyes opened, only to flinch at the bright, white ceiling. I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, curling into myself and burying my face into a pillow. Everything felt like it was spinning, pulling another groan, a more pain-filled one, out of me. A gentle hand came to my shoulder. Even through the haze, I spun onto my back and had the intruder by the wrist, only to see bright blue eyes staring down at me.

I let out a breath and freed his wrist.

"Are you always on guard like this?" he asked softly.

"I have to be." I mumbled.

"Even when you're resting or sick or hungover?" Grant questioned. He reached to the side and handed me a bottle of water and some Tylenol. I inspected the Tylenol for a bit before swallowing them, gulping the water down.

I noticed right away that I was in a different room than the one I was being held in before, when Grant and his friends took me. I didn't bother looking around, not when it was just Grant and I. Besides… my head was _pounding_.

"Of course. There's no one I'm able to trust, except maybe for a few people. There's no trust at my house though. If it meant he could gain more power, my dad would kill me. Just like everyone else, I'm a disposable agent to him. Maybe, just maybe, he has some fatherly feelings towards me on a few rare occasions, but he would still put power over that. If you grew up the way I did, you would quickly learn not to trust many people." I explained.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"No."

"Ouch," came a voice from a bit away. I looked to the side and saw Zach sitting in a chair, with a laptop on his lap. He smirked at Grant. Looks like there was more than just Grant and I. I looked around, but it was only the three of us, no one else.

"Shut up. It's not as if she trusts you either." Grant said.

Zach shrugged. "You met her before I did."

I took the chance to look down at my body, only to find that I was in a white dress shirt. It was a soft cotton one and… Hold on a second. Wasn't Grant wearing a white dress shirt last night? I glanced at him, seeing him continuing talking to Zach. I tuned out what they were saying though. I blushed and buried my face into the pillow again.

"Lexi?" both men asked.

"Grant, touch me again and I'll shove this water bottle down your throat." I growled.

"What did you do?" Zach laughed.

"I don't know!"

I sat up and glared hard at him, then glanced down at the shirt and back up at him. Realization dawned in his eyes, followed by me punching him in the gut. He groaned and grunted out, "I didn't change you, I swear. Ellie did."

"Oh. So you didn't _do_ anything?" I asked.

"No," he groaned.

Whoops.

No, I had to say more than that… I just punched the guy in the gut for doing nothing.

"Whoops."

Zach laughed and said, "Grant, you sure know how to pick them."

I looked over my shoulder and glared. Brother or not, that was an asshole of a thing to say. I lifted the water bottle and made point of glancing to it before looking back at Zach. He chuckled and shook his head, but he stayed quiet and just looked back at his laptop screen. He got the message quite clearly.

Still, I collapsed back against the soft bed. Grant brushed his hand along my cheek, followed by a kiss to my forehead. I looked at him curiously. He was being nice for a guy who just got punched in the gut and didn't get so much as an apology. I probably _should_ apologize. Too bad I won't. Then again, he should probably get used to it if he's serious about trying to be with me. It's not as if I would exactly turn him down flatly…

I glanced at the window and saw the sun high in the sky. I guess I slept right to noon.

"What happened last night?" I asked.

"You mean after you kissed me?" Grant asked, grinning.

"Yes, idiot, after that." I sufficed.

"I'll admit that I took advantage of your intoxication enough to keep kissing you for a while longer. The taste of alcohol was pretty obvious though. Your drink was most definitely spiked… more so than usual. I pushed away after a few minutes though and you nearly collapsed on me. I kept you up and took you here. Others followed along after a while. Actually, Ellie's just in the room next to this one." Grant explained.

"Jerk. You deserved that gut punch then." I said.

He shrugged.

"What's Ellie doing here though? Couldn't she just go to her own hotel?" I asked.

"Nick didn't feel like going further, and Ellie's is quite a bit further." Grant grinned.

I sighed and held my hand up, telling him, "Say no more. I know Ellie well enough to know what happened after that." Then I froze. There was one huge factor left out of all of this. "What about my dad? Does he know…?"

"That you got drunk and you're staying with Ellie at her hotel room? Yes. Ellie called him and told him that." Grant reassured me.

"Speaking of your dad, we learned some interesting things last night. Do you know anything about a machine that is made to eliminate an entire country?" Zach told me. He set his laptop aside, on a table, and walked over to me, sitting on the bed. I shook my head. "I see. So you're out of the loop. That doesn't give us much of an advantage at all."

"I'm sorry." I sighed. "Then again, even if I knew I probably wouldn't tell you. I would tell someone I trust… but I don't trust either of you. We've already gone over this."

I truly wanted to trust them, both of them, but I just couldn't. It went against everything I've believed in since I was little. Trust wasn't something I could just give out. When you trust too much, you get betrayed. That's why I only trust two people: Ellie and Paris. Maybe… just maybe, I could learn to trust Grant and Zach.

"You can trust me." Zach told me, patting my shoulder. "You seem like a pretty good girl, one that's been caught up with the wrong people. Besides, Grant's my best friend, so if he likes you, then I kind of have to as well. Even if it was only for him, I would protect and fight for you. Lexi, you can trust me with your life. I'm going to help you get away from the Mridity, even if you don't accept my help."

I couldn't help it. I hugged him tightly, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face against his shoulder. My brother was going to stick by me no matter what, even though he doesn't know he's my brother. He's found other reasons to stay by me. He hugged me back tightly before letting me go. Then I turned to Grant and hugged him as well. I mean… he liked me and was willing to fight for me as well. Besides… he's hot.

"It's weird though. I get this weird feeling when I'm around you, Lexi." Zach admitted.

"What?" Grant demanded lowly, his arms clenching around me.

"No, no, not like that. She's all yours, Grant." Zach said quickly.

"Do you mean… in a brotherly sort of way?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, I guess. That sounds about right. I mean, I don't have any siblings, so I don't even know what that feels like, but I'm sure it must be like this. Either way, I care about you enough to fight for you. Lexi, I'll get you out of this mess somehow. Grant and I will. All of us will. I have a feeling Nick's taken a… _non-romantically_ liking to you as well." Zach told me.

I chuckled. That last part was definitely for Grant.

"That's not all that happened last night though." Grant told me.

"What else happened?" I asked.

"These men came in, probably because by that time you were fully intoxicated. I'm fairly sure that they were with the circle. Their sights were set on you. When you and Grant came back to the bar so you could sit for few minutes, a few of the men tried to get you to come with them and you almost did. It took Grant and me to get rid of those few, but then the others began to swarm us. We got you out, while Nick took care of getting Ellie out, as well as passing the message onto Cammie and Bex. They were the ones who were re-coning your dad's meeting." Zach explained.

"So it was just a normal night." I said, shrugging.

"Normal?" Zach asked.

"There's always someone after me, whether it's the circle or the CIA. Heck, there probably someone else out there who wants to kidnap me or wants to see me dead." I said. "That's not the point though. I should get going soon. My dad will start getting suspicious if I don't."

"You're right." Grant sighed.

"I really don't want to send you back there… but we have to." Zach grumbled. I got my dress back and went to the bathroom to change. I couldn't very well go home in Grant's shirt. My dad would definitely get suspicious then.

"Do you guys have a marker somewhere? I can write down my number for you. You'll have trouble finding it any other way. And trust me, you won't be forgetting the number any time soon." I chuckled as a plan came into my mind.

Zach hopped up and returned with a marker. He began looking around for a piece of paper, but then I shook my head. I moved closer to Grant. With one hand, I grabbed his shoulder and leaned up, taking his lips with mine. With the other hand, while he was distracted, I wrote my cell phone number on his bare chest. I grinned when I pulled away. I looked at my handiwork and laughed. It turned out very legible, despite his moving.

Zach was laughing from behind us, while Grant just looked kind of in a trance. I didn't know whether it was from me kissing him for so long or from me writing my number on his chest. Either would work.

Then he told me, "That's going to take forever to get off."

"I know."

* * *

**This chapter was extra long and kind of random. I don't even know if it turned out good or not. I just put things in at random times throughout the month so far. Hopefully you guys liked it. Let me know how you feel about it.**

**Comment for Lexant! (Yes, I finally am declaring that's their name)**

**Don't forget to check out the pictures of the dresses on my site (link is on my profile). They'll be uploaded sometime today, probably within the hour.**

**- cammieXzach9900**


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